Neutral Territory
by E-sama the Llama
Summary: Omi's trip to the library results in an unexpected meeting. Can two lonely teens find friendship and possibly love in the midst of "neutral territory"? (Omi/Nagi) (Yohji/Ken) (Brad/Schu) Shonen ai/Yaoi, Angst, Friendship, Romance, etc.
1. A Nearly Fatal Encounter ::rev::

10 March 2003

Regarding the revisions of "Neutral Territory":

After being away from the world of "Weiss Kreuz" for three long months, I am very happy to be getting back to work on this story and wanted to offer a quick explanation of what was going on and what to look forward to in the near future. Basically, I've been tied up recently finishing my angst epic for "Saiyuki" entitled "Fateful Encounters" as well as one of its lemon-angst-romance sequels, "Best Wishes, Gojyo" which was a giftfic for a dear friend. 

Now that those are taking care of, however, it's time to get Omi and Nagi's relationship on track again in this unfinished epic. To reacquaint myself with this tale and make sure that I stay true to the continuity as well as the characters, I plan to re-read and revise each and every chapter, and will upload the revised portions as soon as they are available. Once all eighteen of the preexisting chapters have been given necessary touch-ups, something that will be indicated on each chapter title by the abbreviation "rev" being added to it, I will resume work on the rest of the fic at my usual rate. 

For roughly daily updates on my progress, feel free to check out my page at LiveJournal.com where I am username "e_sama". Words of encouragement as I begin this fairly arduous task will be most appreciated and can be left here in the review section, sent directly to me via email at SFSDincher@aol.com, or in my LJ.

Thanks for being patient and I hope that someone out there will enjoy this story for the first time in its new and improved presentation and that kind souls already familiar with it who wish to refresh their memories will find it entertaining as well. 

All the Best!

~~~Enigma~~~

(who will limit further notes about the revisions to very brief links to his LJ or other relevant locations so as not to clutter up the story itself)

~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~

[original intro-note from 23 October 2002]

Greetings!

Welcome, dear friends, to the halls of the Angst Theatre for an all-new epic tale featuring the eight glorious bishounen of "Weiss Kreuz"!

{waves happily at everyone here at fanfiction.net knowing this is a surprise that requires some major explanation to avoid future confusion}

This story is a gift for my brother's 40th birthday and oddly enough, it's as if he got this twice since I'd planned to give it to him last year when I started writing it, but "Cold November Rain" hit like a hurricane and put this one under wraps until now. In fact, I wasn't sure about resurrecting this in the first place, so I asked a few MLs and some friends about it recently. When the vote came back an overwhelming 8 to 2 in favor of releasing this despite its unfinished state, I felt that I had my answer and am glad to be here now to tell you more. By the way, a list of those kind souls who let me know their thoughts is in tonight's newest feature here at the Angst Theatre, a "Posting Run Dedication" notation at the end of the last set of author's notes. 

Now, the details on this new piece so everyone starts on the same page, so to speak. 

The most important thing to mention is that this piece is *not* connected to any of the other "Weiss Kreuz" pieces I've ever published before. This is an entirely separate continuity unto itself and is not at any particular spot in the series timeline in case you were wondering.

Next up, please note that this tale sadly remains unfinished as of now yet takes up over 250kb of storage space on my zip drive with ~45,000 words occupying 18 chapters and has a lengthy, highly detailed outline for most of what remains to be written. Whether those other chapters--how many more it might take to finish this I haven't a clue--are ever written will remain to be seen based on reader reaction and my muses. 

{hopes this is enough of the key info for everyone, then smirks, grabs a monocle as well as a green shirt from a certain human-turned-youkai who celebrated a birthday recently and lights the marquee before reading you the playbill like usual}

Tonight's debut performance of "Neutral Territory" opens with a bang as Omi's first visit to the main branch of the Tokyo public library takes a disastrous turn and if it wasn't for the presence of a theoretically enemy assassin, he would have died that very day. What will happen after he and Nagi recognize each other? Will open warfare erupt in a hallowed hall of knowledge or will something else entirely occur? 

{beams a little more and then bids you his usual wish for a story like this one}

Enjoy the Angst!

~~~Enigma~~~

(who hopes against hope that all the CNR fans will enjoy this one, too, and leave plenty of feedback since Melpomene and Erato whose latest efforts can be found at: tend to be easily distracted by handsome bishounen from other series)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

****

Title: Neutral Territory [part 1/?]

Author: Enigma

Written: begun October, 2001 

Rating: R 

Pairings: (Omi + Nagi) (Yohji + Ken) (Brad + Schu) 

Category: Shonen ai/Yaoi Angst Friendship Romance Action Violence. AU-OOC. Giftfic.

Archive: fanfiction.net & mediaminer.org [author: "E-sama the Llama"] plus Wuffie.net [author: "Enigma"]

Warnings: shonen ai/yaoi, angst, masculine friendship in many forms, various levels of romance, action, coarse language, whiffs of citrus but nothing detailed, possibly graphic violence, bloodshed, tiny bits of humor, fluff, and sap; more warnings will be added as necessary. AU-OOC. Giftfic for Rubious.

Spoilers: Aya's sister's condition and a few other small things, nothing major.

Disclaimer: "Weiss Kreuz" is the property of Koyasu Takehito and Project Weiss. All original characters featured herein (including but not limited to: Glocksten, Charon, etc.) are © Enigma, 2003, and are not to be used without permission. This unauthorized work of fanfiction is intended for entertainment only; kindly do not sue me.

Notes: Omi's first trip to the public library results in an unexpected meeting when Nagi saves his life without being aware of the Weiss archer's identity. Can two lonely teens overcome the limits of their dark purpose in life to find friendship and possibly love in the midst of "neutral territory"? 

//thoughts// 

{{mental speech}}

*****

Monday afternoon. The library. 

*****

Trudging up the steps to the main branch of the Tokyo public library, a normally happy high school student wore an expression of distinct annoyance as he grumbled angrily to himself, "I wonder how on *earth* I got stuck with a damned technophobe for my geography instructor?"

Tsukiyono Omi was obviously less than pleased that he had been required by his instructor to actually use old-fashioned, bound atlases for a research project. [1] 

The youngest member of the assassin group code-named "Weiss" had never even been in the public library before, preferring the comfort and speed of the Internet for doing his schoolwork as well as his casual reading. However, when he'd turned in the original version of his report about the construction of the Aswan High Dam and how so many structures of historic significance had to be relocated because of it, the aged teacher had become rather incensed. The man had grumbled about the fact that kids like Omi took the easy way out and let the search engines do all the work for them before he flatly insisted that the boy start over. 

Why the man thought that grainy, poor resolution photocopies of old maps were necessary illustrations for a project that was worth a full third of his grade was beyond Omi, but it didn't matter and he had to do it just the same.

Even though it was only Monday, for the typically light-hearted, young Kritiker agent, it was already a bad week. Pessimism didn't suit the attractive blond youth, though, and it was quickly replaced with curiosity about the huge library and what else might happen that day. [2] 

Pushing the heavy glass doors open, Omi stepped inside, past what looked like metal detectors, and was pleasantly surprised by the fact that the building seemed much more modern from the inside than its marbled exterior façade had implied. There was a directory by the service counter and he discovered that the reference section was on the first floor, so he headed straight for it, not paying much attention to what was going on around him.

When classes had ended an hour earlier, Omi had called the Koneko no Sumu Ie to let his teammates know that he wasn't going to be coming straight home. Luckily, he'd talked to Yohji who agreed that the assignment seemed ridiculous, but told Omi to just get it over with the best he could and that he'd track down Ken to help cover the shop for the afternoon. If he'd gotten Aya instead, Omi would probably have been told to hurry up and stop complaining, something that wouldn't have helped matters in the least. 

Omi had been grateful for his friends' support, and now that he was actually inside the large facility, he realized that perhaps his instructor wasn't as crazy as he thought.

//This place is kind of interesting after all. I'm really surprised. There's so much more here than just musty old books.//

Bright cerulean eyes took in the bank of state-of-the-art computer terminals provided for public access to one side of the large reference area. A friendly staff member was pushing a heavily loaded cart of miscellaneous encyclopedias slowly around the room, placing each back into its correct location and answering questions from some of the patrons as she went.

Wandering over to stand between some tall oaken shelves that were loaded down with more atlases and books than Omi thought he'd ever make sense of on his own, he paused to peer at a chart that explained the library's classification system. Lost in thought, Omi failed to hear the slight squeaking noise of a cart's wheel bending then breaking under the weight of far too much leather-bound paper.

"Look out!" Someone shouted a warning and before he could even react, Omi felt himself being gently pushed down even as he heard the groan of hundreds if not thousands of pounds of breaking wooden shelving and books beginning to cascade towards him. Strangely, though, nothing hit him and he lay beneath what seemed to be an invisible dome that shielded him from the debris.

Laying on the carpeted floor and staring in amazement as the books and wood began to shift away from him, the astounded assassin felt his heart racing and knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that without the bizarre protection, he most assuredly would have died right then and there. As the last few books lifted off of him, though, the reason why he was still alive came into view. 

Standing nearby was another high school student, this one wearing the dove gray uniform of one of the city's most prestigious private academies, a look of intense concentration on his delicate features and eyes tightly closed with his hands slightly extended towards the fallen youth. Sweat had broken out across the boy's pale forehead and it was clearly a difficult task to keep the shield in place as well as to remove the debris that had been covering whoever it was that had been unfortunate enough to have been endangered, yet he kept doing it. 

As midnight blue eyes finally opened to take their first look at the person that had just been saved, the boy on the floor exclaimed in confusion, "Schwarz?!"

Naoe Nagi looked pained yet said nothing as he reached out to offer a hand to Omi, helping the confused boy back to his feet. The silent boy knew he needed to hurry away before the librarians that were approaching arrived to ask the anticipated onslaught of questions such a spectacular accident usually causes, but he was held in place. 

Omi kept Nagi's hand trapped in his own and asked in utter confusion, "Why did you help me?" He instinctually realized that Nagi had rescued him from disaster and hadn't caused it, but the entire situation seemed surreal.

In a voice barely above a whisper, Nagi responded, "I had no idea who was in trouble, Weiss. I would have done that for anyone. This library is a place of safety. A place that should never be tainted with blood." 

Sensing the other boy's disquiet, Omi released the pale hand he had held onto and nodded despite the fact that he still didn't understand. As he heard the noise of several library employees approaching at a dead run he asked, "If I take care of their questions and keep you out of it, will you talk with me?"

"Why?" Nagi asked, wondering what the two of them could possibly need to say to one another and curious why the other boy was so willing to help him conceal his true nature.

"So I can understand this better," Omi offered with a small smile and a shrug, "and to say 'thank you' more appropriately than I can right now."

Emotionless blue eyes shifted ever so slightly towards a look of surprise as Nagi realized that no one usually showed him any gratitude for anything but before he could argue much more the librarians arrived and he quickly agreed, "Very well. Meet me on the front steps as soon as you are done here. We will talk as you have requested." 

Without waiting for an answer, the mysterious boy then vanished into the crowd that was beginning to gather. Omi was forced to make good on his offer to cover for the telekinetic, making up some fairly outrageous explanation for his lack of injuries claiming that a shelf had protected him from the books and shattered wood.

Time crept by as he filled out a report for the library security staff and Omi started to wonder if he'd even get a chance to talk to the Schwarz member or not. 

The two boys didn't even know each others' given names, but they had fought against each other in the past. Omi recognized Nagi as being present at only a few of the run-ins that had occurred between the two rival assassin groups, yet he knew very little about the telekinetic's powers or his position within the other organization. If he'd realized that they shared a great deal in common, both gifted computer hackers, both wise beyond their years, and both terribly lonely, he might have been even more curious as to why Nagi had done what he did, but he didn't. 

As he told the agitated woman who had been pushing the cart that broke and caused the accident in the first place that he was okay for what seemed like the hundredth time, Omi desperately wanted to leave and find the answers only Nagi could give him. 

Glancing at his watch, Omi cursed silently that it had been over an hour since the accident and he was certain that he'd lost whatever chance he'd had to talk to the boy who had saved his life. After the final form was filled out, one that stated that Omi wouldn't sue the library later for "emotional duress", something that made the young killer laugh since falling books were next to nothing compared to the hellish nights he often faced, he was told that he could leave.

Gathering up the jacket he'd taken off during the lengthy questioning, Omi's hand brushed his hidden cache of darts and was reminded of the more serious issues he might have had to face if the Schwarz psychic hadn't been alone. He sighed and slipped the jacket on, walking back out through the heavy glass doors, fully expecting to not see Nagi there any longer and assuming he'd never get the answers that he needed.

He was wrong.

Partially hidden behind a large marble column, a pair of deep blue eyes peered at the people exiting the library. Nagi had begun to wonder if he'd failed to protect the young Weiss member after all and had pondered whether or not Omi might have been injured in some fashion that manifested after he'd made good his own escape. 

Nibbling on his lower lip nervously, the youngest Schwarz psychic was about to take the risk of going back inside when he spotted a now familiar face as Omi paused at the top of the stairs to look around, apparently searching for him as well.

"Over here," Nagi offered quietly, stepping out into plain view and receiving an unexpectedly bright smile in return.

"I was afraid you might've left already," Omi exclaimed as quietly as he could before walking towards the shy youth as if they were old friends and not enemies at all.

"No," the other boy shook his head, face blanked to its usual expressionless appearance, "I said that I would stay and answer your questions, didn't I?" He bit back an additional comment that he was getting worried about Omi since it was clear that he wasn't injured as Nagi had feared.

Omi nodded and then held a hand out in greeting and introduced himself. "I'm Tsukiyono Omi. It's nice to meet you."

Nagi considered refusing the hand that he was being offered since he detested being touched, then accepted it while replying simply, "Naoe Nagi."

The lack of pleasantries from the quiet boy didn't bother the slightly taller teen at all and Omi was about to ask where they might go to talk when a small sound caught his attention. Fighting the overwhelming desire to giggle slightly at the fact that he was facing a deadly potential opponent who was obviously hungry judging by the noise of Nagi's stomach growling, the blond youth offered, "Why don't we go get a snack? I could use something to eat and I spotted a sushi stand by the parking deck."

Unaware that Omi had noticed his empty stomach's complaint, Nagi shrugged to indicate his indifference to the suggestion. The overly slender boy had never been one to eat properly, the use of his powers drained him and he had other deeper emotional issues which interfered with his dietary needs, yet when Omi offered to eat with him it seemed appealing. Granted, after the exertion of his telekinetic ability to restrain and then move the falling shelving and books, Nagi was even more in need of sustenance than normal but he had ignored it when he realized that Omi had been delayed. Concern for the slightly older assassin outweighed not only the need for food but had somehow prevented the headache he often suffered after such an event. 

Confused by his own contradictory behavior, Nagi finally said, "As you wish. I would assume that we can cover whatever issues you wanted to talk to me about while we're there. However, I don't really need anything to eat."

Omi cast an odd glance at the other boy and took note of the way his school uniform hung loosely on him despite that fact that it was cut extremely narrowly to begin with. A mild frown crossed his usually happy face which was then banished as he offered his best genki smile and said, "Well, I hate to eat alone and unless you can't stand sushi, at least let me buy us some to share while we talk? After all that excitement, I'm hungry! What do you say? Shall we give it a try? Please?"

Again the careless shrug of a too-slender shoulder and Nagi agreed, "If you insist. Let's go." He waited for Omi to lead the way, falling into step silently behind him as they walked away from the place they would later acknowledge was where they began to realize that neither of them needed to be all alone any longer.

*****

To be continued.

Author's Notes:

[1] Please note that in an effort to honor the creators of this marvelous distraction, Japanese naming conventions are used here with certain logical exceptions such as Brad Crawford who is American.

[2] Even though some of the new "Weiss Kreuz: Glühen" character designs are incredibly beautiful in their own right, they are *not* the Weiss and Schwarz boys that I know and love, so please keep in mind the physical descriptions throughout this story are based solely on the original anime. Further, this means they have only their original weaponry, duties, and are costumed in their more familiar style.

Please be advised: Parts 1 & 2 will be posted together.

Posted: 23 October 2002 ~2:15am EDT

Revised chapter posted: 10 March 2003 ~12:35am EST


	2. Tentative Beginnings ::rev::

****

Title: Neutral Territory [part 2/?]

Author: Enigma

Written: begun October, 2001 

Rating: R 

Pairings: (Omi + Nagi) (Yohji + Ken) (Brad + Schu) 

Category: Shonen ai/Yaoi Angst Friendship Romance Action Violence. AU-OOC. Giftfic.

Archive: fanfiction.net & mediaminer.org [author: "E-sama the Llama"] plus Wuffie.net [author: "Enigma"]

Warnings: shonen ai/yaoi, angst, masculine friendship in many forms, various levels of romance, action, coarse language, whiffs of citrus but nothing detailed, possibly graphic violence, bloodshed, tiny bits of humor, fluff, and sap; more warnings will be added as necessary. AU-OOC. Giftfic for Rubious.

Spoilers: Aya's sister's condition and a few other small things, nothing major.

Disclaimer: "Weiss Kreuz" is the property of Koyasu Takehito and Project Weiss. All original characters featured herein (including but not limited to: Glocksten, Charon, etc.) are © Enigma, 2003, and are not to be used without permission. This unauthorized work of fanfiction is intended for entertainment only; kindly do not sue me.

Notes: Omi's first trip to the public library results in an unexpected meeting when Nagi saves his life without being aware of the Weiss archer's identity. Can two lonely teens overcome the limits of their dark purpose in life to find friendship and possibly love in the midst of "neutral territory"? 

//thoughts// 

{{mental speech}}

*****

Monday late afternoon. Unnamed sushi stand. 

*****

Both boys were nervous, yet Omi maintained his usual smiles and good cheer as they quietly enjoyed an interesting assortment of sushi and sashimi, wondering the whole time what Nagi was thinking. 

Nagi was, of course, wondering pretty much the same thing about Omi as well as pondering the fact that he had eaten more in the first half hour the two had sat together in the small shop than he usually did in an entire day. 

As they sipped pleasantly steaming jasmine tea, Omi finally broke the companionable silence that had dropped over them so easily by asking, "So, Naoe-san, if I may ask, why were you at the library today?" [1] Hoping a neutral topic might make starting a conversation easier, the blond deliberately skirted the bigger issues temporarily. Or so he thought.

Nagi had been in what seemed to be a fairly good mood for someone who showed almost zero emotion most of the time until this issue was raised. Now, however, he glanced away and his thin lips curved downwards in a hint of a frown as he responded, "I prefer not to return home directly after school whenever possible. The men I live with can be so unpleasant at times." [2] 

Omi realized immediately that Nagi meant the other members of Schwarz and didn't push the issue, merely stored it away to consider in the future. 

While he was thinking about it, though, Nagi asked, "How is it where you live? Is it similarly unpleasant that you sought refuge in the library, too?"

A brilliant smile broke out on Omi's face and he shook his head in negation, "Oh, it's nothing like that at all! Home is terrific! We all get along great most of the time." 

Nagi's frown had slipped away and was replaced by something that Omi couldn't help but think looked more like wishfullness than anything else as he replied almost silently, "It must be nice."

Not willing to allow the other boy to become despondent, Omi turned the conversation back towards the issues he'd felt needed answering earlier. "Um, Naoe-san, could you tell me please why you said what you did in the library?"

"Um, exactly which statement are you curious about?" Nagi replied, trying to cover the fact that he had no clue what Omi was talking about, then added, "And call me 'Nagi', please, Tsukiyono-san. I hate being called by my surname." He didn't add that he doubted it even was his real family name, there was no reason to share so much information with an enemy agent.

"Okay," Omi agreed with yet another smile, "if you'll do the same for me, Nagi. Not that I hate my surname, I just don't like to be formal all the time. Now, as to what I wanted to know about was what you said about the library being, what did you call it? Oh, right, 'a place of safety'. You said you didn't want to see any bloodshed there, why is that important to you, Nagi?" 

The Schwarz assassin seemed sad to Omi while retaining his emotionless expression. The Weiss tactician's inherent talent for reading people's true feelings was rapidly beginning to express itself as he became more familiar with the other teen's moods. 

As the sable-haired boy thought it over, Omi regretted the fact that he asked and was about to retract the question when Nagi sighed, allowed a look of sorrow to enter his eyes and then, in a soft voice, he answered, "The library is a sanctuary for me. It's a place that I know the others won't come looking for me. Farfarello wouldn't make it past their metal detectors with all of his knives and Crawford would never go into such a high visibility situation during broad daylight just for me." 

When he spoke of his precognitive leader, Nagi's voice was filled with a sadness that verged on disappointment which surprised the listener, but Omi didn't have time to contemplate that realization as the other boy continued to speak, "And Schuldich…" 

His voice trailed off as the memory played itself out and Nagi winced as he recalled an incident when the redhead *had* come after him and it hadn't ended well. 

Some months prior, after receiving a vision of an impending subway disaster which would've claimed the life of their youngest teammate, Crawford had sent Schuldich to pick up Nagi from school. The telepath had been bombarded by a virtual flood of noisy teenaged minds he could barely hold back. The effort had left the German incapable of getting out of bed for days yet Schuldich secretly felt it was worth all the pain knowing that the Japanese telekinetic was uninjured. Granted, he hadn't wanted Nagi to know that and had taken the opportunity to behave as if he held it against the boy and thereby maintain his own façade. 

Taking a steadying breath, Nagi finished, "Well, Schuldich wouldn't want to have to handle that many minds all chattering away at him again like that unless he absolutely had to. So, you see, Omi, the library was a refuge for me. A place that was safe and yet I knew that I wasn't as alone as I am otherwise."

Omi was shocked, to put it mildly.

The youngest member of Weiss had never even considered what the conditions might be like on the opposing team and to hear their youngest member speaking of it with such pain disturbed him greatly. But before even that idea sank in fully, he realized something even more worrisome. 

Without even thinking it through, he reached out a hand and placed it on Nagi's arm as if to comfort him and asked in confusion, "Wait, Nagi. Why did you say that last part in the past tense? I mean, if it was your personal sanctuary before, why isn't it still safe for you?"

Nagi's instinctual reaction to jerk away from human contact was oddly overridden by the blond boy's gentleness and he allowed the hand to remain on his arm despite his considerable abilities to defend himself. He glanced at Omi with the same sorrow in his midnight blue eyes as before and kept the bitterness from his voice as he stated quietly, "Because now Weiss knows where they can find me, that's why. I can't afford to make myself such an easy target, now can I?"

Realization and understanding both hit Omi almost immediately and he smiled a subdued yet reassuring smile as he shook his head. "No, Nagi, that's not true at all. You see," carefully emphasizing certain words and not others, he explained, "'Weiss' doesn't know where you are, *I* do. And I have no intention of mentioning what happened today to them anyway. Your secret's safe with me." 

"Why should I believe you, Omi?" Nagi asked, his voice unintentionally transmitting how very strongly he hoped that it was true. "Before today, we only encountered one another as enemies. Why should I trust you now?"

Omi kept smiling, allowing a little more confidence into his voice as he explained with a question of his own, "Why should I have trusted you to sit here and share sushi with me without killing me?"

Nagi snorted softly at the sheer idiocy of the statement, "If I wanted you dead, Weiss, I could've just put those books back on top of you, you know."

Victory at hand, Omi cocked his head slightly and tried not to grin. "Precisely, Schwarz. The bottom line is that if either one of us wanted the other dead today we could've done it a few times over by now, couldn't we? But instead, we're both here, perfectly fine, enjoying some tea and talking as if we've been friends forever. See my point?"

Shaking his head and actually letting the tiniest hint of a smile cross his lips for the first time that Omi could recall, Nagi finally gave in. "Yes, I see your point, *Omi*." He emphasized the other boy's name and received a bright, approving smile in return. But the moment of levity was soon past and Nagi sighed as his expression returned to its usual bland, mask-like emotionless state. "So, if you're not going to mention what happened to your teammates and, of course, I *never* tell mine anything I don't absolutely have to anyway, what does this all mean?"

Suddenly shy, Omi allowed his cerulean blue eyes to dart down and then back up again as he suggested, "Maybe it means I might see you again at the library tomorrow, Nagi? After all, the geography assignment I went there to do won't go away and I've got to go back to finish it." 

Hopefulness snuck into Nagi's midnight blue eyes and the telekinetic barely suppressed the desire to smile in return as he commented carefully, "Are you saying that you're interested in talking together again sometime, too?" When Omi nodded encouragingly, Nagi added thoughtfully, "To be perfectly honest, it's been refreshing to talk to someone close to my own age that understands what my life is really like. No lies. No pretending that the others are my family. No acting as if my hands weren't stained with blood. It's liberating in a lot of ways."

"But we didn't talk about any of that stuff," Omi remarked, wondering how bad Nagi's world must truly be if he felt so much pressure all the time from thoughts as dark as these. 

"I know," the smaller boy responded, shrugging waif-thin shoulders and glancing out the window at the late afternoon sky before turning his full attention back to the boy across the table from him. "But if we had, I wouldn't have needed to lie about it. Then again, it's probably best if we *don't* talk about those things if we do happen to see each other again. It might, um, 'complicate' matters, if you see what I mean."

"Oh definitely!" Omi agreed fervently then offered, "How's this? Why don't we declare the library to be 'neutral territory' for the two of us? A place we can meet and talk if we feel like it as long as we leave Weiss and Schwarz out of it?"

"Hmm, 'neutral territory'," Nagi said contemplatively as if tasting the words and finding favor with them. "I like that. From now on, we can both consider that a refuge if we want to and as long as none of the others finds out, we'll be safe there."

"Works for me," Omi grinned, happiness at making a new friend bubbling up and threatening to escape, yet he fought it down fearing he might scare off the reserved boy in front of him. Trying to let just enough of his relief into his voice to reassure Nagi, he added, "And I really *will* be back there tomorrow after school. Luckily, the revised version of my project isn't due until Wednesday and since this is only Monday, I've got one more day to work on it."

"Oh?" Nagi asked with interest, "What is it about? I'm fairly good at geography, maybe I can help you with it."

Omi couldn't believe his good fortune and after ordering them both another cup of tea, he spent almost a half-hour basically complaining about how hide-bound his teacher was and being surprised at how many clever ideas Nagi had for the project straight off the top of his head. 

Soon the two new friends had a plan for the assignment that, if it worked, would let Nagi get started on it before Omi arrived and the two of them could finish in time to let them grab a quick dinner together again before they returned to their respective homes. Both were pleased to discover how well they worked together as a team doing something far less destructive than killing or destroying property. 

Even as Nagi was about to give in to his curiosity and ask Omi straight out how old the other boy was, the orange glare of sunset caught his eye thereby reminding him of a certain German psychic's hair and it caused him to curse angrily, "Oh, fuck! I can't believe it's so late!" 

As the telekinetic frantically began to gather together the few notes he'd made on napkins, Omi asked with concern, "What's wrong, Nagi?" Despite the brief time spent together talking, he already knew that the levels of anger and borderline fear that he was detecting in the smaller boy as Nagi quickly buttoned up his jacket and glanced at his watch nervously were highly atypical in public.

"I need to get back, that's all," Nagi said bitterly, calming temporarily and trying to reclaim his emotionless mask and failing. 

With a defeated sigh he bent one of the pair's new rules by explaining, "When I get home late, Schuldich takes great joy in harassing me about it all night. And if I act as if I had even a *minute* of fun, he tries to get inside my head and find out what it was that I did so he can spoil it for me. Damn it, I don't know why he hates me so much, but," frustration took away whatever else he was going to add and he stated, "I'm sorry I said anything, never mind. I just need to go, that's all."

Omi felt overwhelmed but rallied quickly. "It's okay, Nagi, I understand. Listen, my motorcycle's over in the library parking deck. I bet I can get you home quickly if you like."

Nagi gave him a grateful look even as he shook his head, "Thanks, but no. It's one thing for us to meet on 'neutral territory', it's quite another if I take you straight back to our headquarters, you know?"

"Ack! Duh! I'm so stupid!" Omi hit himself in the head comically and entirely missed the small smile of amusement that Nagi failed to suppress in response to the antics solely intended to lighten his mood. "Geez, I'm sorry, Nagi! I'm a bit too eager to help for my own good. At least, that's what Ken-kun always says, anyway."

"'Ken-kun'?" Nagi asked automatically.

The smaller boy never once realized Omi had just deliberately balanced the scales of breaking the rules, something the genki boy was more than happy to finish doing by adding, "Siberian. You know, the brunette with the claws?"

"Ah, right," Nagi finally gave up on trying to suppress all of his mirth and allowed a tiny grin to light up his face as he nodded to indicate he accepted Omi's favor, "The one with the hideous orange sweatshirt, right? Well, maybe he's right, but I don't think it's such a bad thing. For now I'll just catch a cab, though, and try to reduce the bullshit I'm facing by not being any later than I already am. I'll be fine, really I will, Omi. Don't worry."

"Okay," the slightly taller boy nodded, a soft smile on his mouth as he commented, "I'll try not to worry, but I feel a little guilty that you might get in trouble just because we talked for so long."

Nagi snorted softly again, an endearing little trait in Omi's mind. "Enough, Bombay. Face it, if they knew we talked at *all,* regardless of how long, we'd both be toast, right?" 

"True," Omi agreed as he slipped his own jacket on thinking about heading home, too.

The bland expression the telekinetic wore failed to hide the look of determination on Nagi's face as he added before heading for the door, "I'll see you tomorrow at the library, Omi. And after we get your project repaired, it's *my* turn to pick what we eat. I don't do sushi two days in a row!"

Omi grinned happily and followed him out the door, answering, "Sounds good to me, Nagi! I like surprises! Ja ne!"

As the youngest Weiss assassin walked away, he failed to see the warm, genuine smile that blossomed onto Nagi's face as he pushed hair the color of dark chocolate from his eyes. The fifteen year old sighed to himself, "Even if Schuldich gives me shit about being out late, it was worth it. What I told Omi before was the truth, I would've saved anyone from that mess this afternoon, but seeing the way it turned out, I'm actually kind of glad it was him. He's a really nice person."

Pulling his thoughts away from the jacketed figure who had vanished from sight, Nagi lifted one hand to flag down a taxi and rode back to the Schwarz penthouse mind whirling with thoughts about what other places he and Omi might eventually designate "neutral territory". 

*****

To be continued.

Author's Notes:

[1] For those of you who are only familiar with the wretched English dub of this wonderful series, the use of traditional honorifics may seem strange, but for the rest of us, Omi would rarely use anything less than the proper form of address at any given moment. Hence, when not in battle or under certain stressful circumstances, each of the members of Weiss will be called "-kun" while others will receive commensurate recognition. Other characters as well will follow this same pattern when it fits their personalities, the situation, and other key circumstances.

[2] When Nagi is talking or thinking about his teammates, please keep in mind this is strictly *his* point of view at any given moment in the story and as is often the case with teenagers, he only sees certain aspects of them and not the whole truth. There will be much more about what life is really like in the ranks of Schwarz later. Also, even though it will take awhile before they occupy center stage here, Crawford, Schuldich, and Farfarello all will play a much greater role in this story than they did in "Cold November Rain", something that ought to please quite a few readers.

[Posting Run Dedication] This evening's posting run is dedicated to the people who responded to my plea for guidance regarding whether or not to wake this sleeping giant of a fic. Hence, it is with deep gratitude that I mention those who helped included: Diana of Wuffie.net, Wataruo, Yanagi-sen, Rubious, Heather, Ryoko, Kaze, Issini, Mamba-chan, and Lor-lor. Of course, AOHell is my eternal bane when it comes to eating emails, so if anyone not listed here wrote and I never saw it, please accept my apologies and consider yourself amongst these wondrous souls all the same, okay? Thank you all for your input!

Please be advised: Parts 1 & 2 will be posted together.

Posted: 23 October 2002 ~2:15am EDT

Revised chapter posted: 10 March 2003 ~12:35am EST


	3. Friendship and Tension ::rev::

[original intro-note from 27 October 2002]

Greetings! 

Before I begin the story, please allow me to thank the phenomenal folks who have given my muses and me so many reasons to smile recently! Here at fanfiction.net there's some marvelous folks to thank including: Weisshund, Priscilla (huggles special friend who left two wonderful reviews and whispers that "Ken's Dream" has not been forgotten), Suzu, Kyra, Porcelain Dragon, Keimei, and Miriel Sakamoto. My deepest appreciation also goes to: Heather, Hidaka, Wataruo, Yanagi-sen, Persephone (happy belated birthday, my friend!), Kaze, Rubious, and Ryoko who all sent notes about the first two chapters of this tale. With terrific support like this, I just might be able to get Melpomene and Erato to finish this one sooner than I thought, but additional uplifting reviews will certainly help to keep the momentum going! 

{lights the marquee, puts on flowing robes made of golden silk, and reads the playbill with a Smith & Wesson in one hand}

Tonight's show opens with Omi's return home to the flower shop after his unexpected encounter with Nagi and when the four members of Weiss gather together, tension as well as friendship is as much on the menu as cheap Chinese take-out is. The arrival of Manx, however, changes everything and when Weiss is given their new mission assignment, Yohji and Ken both discover that they have personal reasons for wanting to hunt the futures of the two newest dark beasts whose crimes taint Tokyo.

{bows and then steps aside hoping that you will….}

Enjoy the Angst!

~~~Enigma~~~

(who very much hopes to hear what folks think of these incarnations of the Weiss team since they're not quite who they were in CNR, but Schwarz is even farther away from that continuity's versions of them here so we shall see, ne?) 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

****

Title: Neutral Territory [part 3/?]

Author: Enigma

Written: begun October, 2001 

Rating: R 

Pairings: (Omi + Nagi) (Yohji + Ken) (Brad + Schu) 

Category: Shonen ai/Yaoi Angst Friendship Romance Action Violence. AU-OOC. Giftfic.

Archive: fanfiction.net & mediaminer.org [author: "E-sama the Llama"] plus Wuffie.net [author: "Enigma"]

Warnings: shonen ai/yaoi, angst, masculine friendship in many forms, various levels of romance, action, coarse language, whiffs of citrus but nothing detailed, possibly graphic violence, bloodshed, tiny bits of humor, fluff, and sap; more warnings will be added as necessary. AU-OOC. Giftfic for Rubious.

Spoilers: Aya's sister's condition and a few other small things, nothing major.

Disclaimer: "Weiss Kreuz" is the property of Koyasu Takehito and Project Weiss. All original characters featured herein (including but not limited to: Glocksten, Charon, etc.) are © Enigma, 2003, and are not to be used without permission. This unauthorized work of fanfiction is intended for entertainment only; kindly do not sue me.

Notes: Omi's first trip to the public library results in an unexpected meeting when Nagi saves his life without being aware of the Weiss archer's identity. Can two lonely teens overcome the limits of their dark purpose in life to find friendship and possibly love in the midst of "neutral territory"? 

//thoughts// 

{{mental speech}}

*****

Monday evening. Various locations within the flower shop.

*****

The sound of Omi's motorcycle pulling up outside the Koneko caught the attention of one of his teammates. Glancing up from his end of day paperwork, Ken remarked, "Yohji? Did you just hear Omi's bike get in?"

Yohji was finishing a cigarette and putting away a hose when he shrugged before remarking, "No, Kenken, but you know that I never pay attention to mundane things like that. Now, if it was *your* motorcycle," he sidled up and wrapped a long arm around his lover's waist and hugged him from behind, "and you were as late getting back as he is? Well, *that* might catch my attention, baby!" 

The honey-blond-haired man leaned down and added a soft kiss to one reddening earlobe before releasing the brunette who was beginning to blush from the unusual public display of affection. Of course Yohji was the consummate tease and knew that Aya was in the kitchen setting out some undoubtedly forgettable carry-out for their dinner, hence the former playboy had enough time to tantalize his lover a bit without getting caught and knew it. 

As Ken was about to finally think of a suitable comeback for Yohji's playfulness, Omi came in through the backdoor, face flushed and typical genki smile in place. 

"I'm home!" The youngest member of Weiss sang out unnecessarily, placing his helmet and motorcycle keys in their usual nook before adding, "Sorry I'm late. Did the afternoon go okay in the shop?"

Ken smiled warmly at him and said, "It went fine, Omi. Without you here the fangirls were disappointed, but they can't have everything!"

A soft snort from the eldest assassin in the room preceded Yohji's interjection, "The silly fangirls can't have *anything* on my watch!" Somewhat startled by his own possessive behavior, he turned away and mumbled something about helping Aya in the kitchen before fleeing the room.

"What was *that* all about?" Omi asked, blue eyes wide with amusement.

"Oh, that?" Ken chuckled a little before answering, "One of the girls was a little too touchy-feelly towards me this afternoon for Yohji's tastes. I didn't care that she was hanging on my arm while we picked out flowers for her to take to her mom in the hospital, but it got on his nerves. In the end, I had to explain to Mr. Jealousy that the girl was really tired from staying up all night and worrying over her mother and he backed off after awhile."

"Ah, I see," Omi nodded sagely. "I'm sorry I wasn't here, then. I usually can take care of the emotionally distraught ones a little better than the rest of you can. But I'm sure you did just fine, Ken-kun! You're very considerate of people, too, of course!" 

The bright smile which seemed permanently affixed to the genki youth never faded for a moment as Omi glanced around the flower shop wondering if he needed to take care of any last minute details before they left it for the night.

Chocolate brown eyes regarded the slightly shorter teen and Ken was about to ask Omi why he seemed to be even more happy than usual, but he was forestalled when Aya stuck his head in through the door to the kitchen and stated flatly, "Dinner." 

The redhead then turned around and vanished, acting for all the world as if he really didn't care one way or the other if they came and ate. Actually, the man who used his sister's name as his own *did* care. He cared a great deal. But the katana-wielding assassin never wanted to admit that he felt that way. 

Aya preferred to let the others believe him to be the heartless killer he tried to be, hoping that if they never knew he cared then they wouldn't be as hurt by his own anticipated demise as he was by his sister's comatose state. Despite being a highly accomplished warrior on the urban battlefield, the violet-eyed man didn't doubt for a single moment that his own death was awaiting him in the foreseeable future and he wished to spare his teammates whatever anguish they might suffer when it happened. Sometimes those who seem the most distant from those around them are actually those who care the most and it's a sad thing that they hide from the people who love them all the same.

"Great! I'm starved!" Ken remarked and expertly tossed his apron onto its hook on his way inside.

Omi followed and entered a room that felt warm and friendly but smelled like cheap Chinese food. He was relieved that he'd already eaten with Nagi, the sushi and sashimi they had shared had been particularly delicious, something heightened by the company no doubt.

Washing his hands at the sink, Yohji called over one shoulder, "So, Omiitchi, how'd the library shit go? Get everything done?"

A touch of panic filled Omi's thoughts as he realized that he had planned on not telling them about either the accident with the books falling on him or the fact that he'd met Naoe Nagi socially for the first time. He hated to lie to his teammates but total honesty wasn't acceptable either, so he opted for an assortment of partial truths.

"The library was a lot more interesting than I thought it might be," Omi stated truthfully then continued, "but I didn't find everything I needed. I'll have to go back tomorrow after school again, but that shouldn't be a problem since I wasn't scheduled to work in the shop, right?"

"Right," Ken smiled as he sat at the table and immediately dug his chopsticks into Aya's carton of Moo Goo Gai Pan and was swatted smartly with twin bits of wood for his transgression. Shaking the sting out of his hand, the chocolate-eyed teen glared at the swordsman who gazed back at him coldly even as Ken added, "That'll be fine, Omi, but the library closed over an hour ago. What was the delay getting home?"

Blinking in shock since he hadn't taken into consideration that anyone would care enough about him to have checked to see what time the place had closed, Omi scrambled to respond as casually as possible, "Um, I made a new friend while I was there. We had a snack and talked a little after we left." Nervous that he couldn't keep up the pretense of half-truths much longer, he added, "Anyway, thanks for worrying over me, Ken-kun, but I think I better go get started on my other homework, I've got a lot of math to do tonight." 

Omi headed for the stairs that would take him to the private rooms above the flower shop when another voice called out unexpectedly, "Omi? Don't you want your dinner?" Aya sounded almost as if he was hurt as he added, "I got you some shrimp and tofu with snow peas."

Yohji and Ken both nearly dropped their chopsticks upon hearing the unprecedented words. The two lovers glanced at each other in wonderment. Since when did Fujimiya Aya care enough about anyone to go to the trouble of getting something special for them much less mentioning it when he did? 

The youngest member of Weiss, however, was distracted by his own thoughts and failed to note the highly unusual nature of Aya's comment. If he hadn't been full already, Omi's mouth would've watered upon hearing this, but instead he simply returned to the table and smiled gratefully as he picked up the steaming container and inhaled the delicious aroma, "Thanks, but no, Aya-kun! Like I said, I've already eaten. But I'll put it in the fridge for a snack later. Thanks for getting my favorite, I didn't know you knew."

"Hn," Aya snorted in annoyance, unaware that pairs of emerald and chocolate eyes were focused on him in shared confusion. "Of course I knew what you liked, Omi, you circled it on the menu."

"Bastard!" Yohji growled. The bubble of hope that Aya wasn't such an uncaring asshole after all burst and freed some of the anger that he felt towards the swordsman for hitting Ken with his chopsticks. "You know, for just *once*, Fujimiya, you could at least pretend that you gave a damn about the rest of us as people for a change! All we are to you are weapons for your own private war against Takatori and I'm damned well sick of it!" 

The cold amethyst glare that was cast back at Yohji spoke volumes yet not the truth. 

Inwardly, Aya congratulated himself on successfully covering the unfortunate slip of his emotional armor yet a corner of his soul curled in on itself, hurt that he'd never truly be able to be himself again at this rate. Once upon a time, Fujimiya Ran had been a carefree teenager who had no trouble showing affection to his friends as well as his family, but that was a luxury Abyssinian felt he could no longer afford. 

"Guys, please! That's enough!" Omi urged trying to avoid another dinner table battle over why any of them did what they did. 

Reprehensible though killing intrinsically was, Omi felt that Kritiker had never sent them after a target that didn't fully deserve what happened to them. Then again, he was still feeling happy from the time he'd spent getting to know Nagi that afternoon and didn't want his pleasant mood to be ruined by the knowledge that his friends were fighting amongst themselves. Soothingly, he added, "Why not just eat your dinner in peace for a change? I'm sorry if I caused any trouble, but I really *do* need to go study. If you need me, just call, all right?"

Without waiting for an answer, he walked up the stairs and banished thoughts about the argument between the two eldest members of Weiss from his mind, replacing them with more pleasant ones regarding Nagi and what else they might have in common. There was a lightness to his step as Omi walked into his room and flopped like the seventeen year old that he really was onto his bed, laying on his back and smiling at the ceiling as he pondered what to wear the next day.

*****

Monday evening, a little bit later. The flower shop's kitchen.

*****

Even as Omi lost himself in thoughts of the dark-haired telekinetic, the topic as well as the mood in the room where he had left his teammates had shifted entirely.

Ken frowned as he shoveled another bite of beef with broccoli into his mouth, chewing for a moment before remarking, "I wonder why Omi didn't want any dinner? It's not like him to turn down a hot meal."

Yohji stopped scowling at Aya for a moment and looked at his often clueless lover and commented, "Er, Kenken, maybe you missed it, but he said he had a bite to eat with a friend before coming home, remember?"

Brown eyes rolled sarcastically as Ken quickly swallowed another bite of his dinner before commenting, "I heard him, Yohji, it's just that it seemed unusual since even when he grabs an entire package of ramen noodles and a sandwich after school he's ready for more by now."

"That's true," Aya unexpectedly remarked, almost causing Yohji to drop his half-eaten carton of vegetable lo mein as he added suspiciously, "and he seemed to be nervous about something. I wonder what's really going on?"

Setting his noodles down, Yohji cast a withering jade glare at the other man and stated with annoyance, "Abyssinian, must you make *everything* sound like a damned mystery all the time? The kid went out to do something for school, met someone and he grabbed a bite to eat with them. End of story. Nothing shady or worrisome, so just drop it, okay?"

Violet eyes narrowed almost to slits as Aya considered what had been said and refused to say anything, preferring instead to pick through his container of food to retrieve one of the tiny baby corn cobs that Ken liked. He dropped it unceremoniously into the athletic teen's carton and looked away as if he hadn't just given him a peace offering before going back to simply eating his own dinner.

"Yum!" Ken remarked enthusiastically as he gobbled down the corn with a smirk before commenting, "Yohji's right, we should be glad that Omi's getting a chance to just be a kid for a change. This is good for him and I say we don't give him a hard time about it."

"Works for me," Yohji shrugged in agreement. Then he dug through his carton of lo mein angrily for a moment before complaining, "You know what ticks me off? The pictures for this stuff on the menu always show a ton of straw mushrooms, but as soon as I get halfway through, they're all gone!" 

The long-haired man pouted comically and was rewarded by a rare half-smile as the redhead admonished almost gently, "That's because you pick them all out and drop them into your hot-and-sour soup, baka."

The elder assassin turned a surprised smile on Aya and was about to answer when a knock at the door which led to the alleyway interrupted their attempts at having a more pleasant meal than usual as per Omi's request. 

All three assassins tensed automatically. Only one person arrived at that particular door at this time of night and they exchanged worried glances before Yohji rose and sauntered over to answer it.

The glow of the streetlights in the alley dramatically backlit fire red hair and the curvaceous form of an impatient woman who tapped her toe in annoyance as Yohji took a moment to let his eyes rake up and down her figure. The former playboy leered at Manx as if she was a potential date and not an agent of his employer, deliberately baiting her somewhat as payback for interrupting his suddenly fairly enjoyable meal.

"Going to let me in sometime tonight, Balinese?" Manx inquired acidly. 

Bowing with an extravagant flourish, Yohji stepped back and waved for her to enter, "But of course, Manx! Please, come in and have a seat. We were just finishing dinner."

"You're finished now," she responded flatly with a serious frown as their initial pleasantries came to an end. "I'm afraid that what I'm here to show you won't wait and I need to get back to headquarters."

"Hn," Aya grunted in acknowledgement, already dropping the remaining food into the trash.

Ken glanced at Yohji then reached for the phone to alert Omi that he was needed in the basement for the mission briefing. 

Soon they would all be listening to Manx and focusing on how to eliminate yet another piece of the darker side of life in Tokyo. It would be quite a change from complaining about being sent to the library or debating the merits of cheap Chinese food.

*****

To be continued.

Please be advised: Parts 3 & 4 will be posted together.

Originally posted: 27 October 2002 ~1:35am EST

Revised chapter posted: 12 March 2003 ~7:00pm EST


	4. A New Mission for Weiss ::rev::

****

Title: Neutral Territory [part 4/?]

Author: Enigma

Written: begun October, 2001 

Rating: R 

Pairings: (Omi + Nagi) (Yohji + Ken) (Brad + Schu) 

Category: Shonen ai/Yaoi Angst Friendship Romance Action Violence. AU-OOC. Giftfic.

Archive: fanfiction.net & mediaminer.org [author: "E-sama the Llama"] plus Wuffie.net [author: "Enigma"]

Warnings: shonen ai/yaoi, angst, masculine friendship in many forms, various levels of romance, action, coarse language, whiffs of citrus but nothing detailed, possibly graphic violence, bloodshed, tiny bits of humor, fluff, and sap; more warnings will be added as necessary. AU-OOC. Giftfic for Rubious.

Spoilers: Aya's sister's condition and a few other small things, nothing major.

Disclaimer: "Weiss Kreuz" is the property of Koyasu Takehito and Project Weiss. All original characters featured herein (including but not limited to: Glocksten, Charon, etc.) are © Enigma, 2003, and are not to be used without permission. This unauthorized work of fanfiction is intended for entertainment only; kindly do not sue me.

Notes: Omi's first trip to the public library results in an unexpected meeting when Nagi saves his life without being aware of the Weiss archer's identity. Can two lonely teens overcome the limits of their dark purpose in life to find friendship and possibly love in the midst of "neutral territory"? 

//thoughts// 

{{mental speech}}

*****

Monday evening. Weiss mission headquarters. 

*****

A few minutes later, the atmosphere of the basement living room-cum-operations center of the Koneko no Sumu Ie was understandably tense.

Aya leaned against a wall, arms crossed over his orange turtleneck and doing his best to look disinterested as Omi and Ken sat on the couch patiently waiting while Yohji turned down the lights and Manx slid the videotape into the player.

"Before I start the message from Persia, let me mention something," the flame-haired woman commented casually. "This mission seems far more complicated than it really is."

An elegant red eyebrow rose in response to this, but Aya refrained from commenting. He wondered why a warning of this sort was needed, but after the nightmarish assignment the team had finished the week before--identifying the source of falsified visas that had allowed a flood of foreign criminals to enter Japan had been far more difficult than anticipated--he realized it might be appropriate. The effort of tracking down the bastards involved had left their tactician almost incapacitated and could've ended much worse for everyone than it did. 

On a dark night in a decaying neighborhood, Yohji had been given point once the four assassins were inside the broken down office building that had been used to produce the illegal documents. For once there was no small army of guards awaiting them yet there was no way to be certain their luck would hold after the two lowly underlings they'd initially encountered were dispatched. The four teammates stayed on edge even as the former detective took his position and stood guard to protect the others as the mission objectives were fulfilled. 

Both Aya and Ken had then been free to accompany the youngest member of Weiss to the surprisingly secure data core that they needed to access fully and download for Kritiker's analysts to deal with later. The two older assassins were careful to watch over the exhausted boy while he worked feverishly, gathering the required information and then destroying the entire system including the printing presses. 

On the way back to their vehicles after the mission, Omi had collapsed into Ken's arms, so deeply asleep that the brunette had at first feared he was unconscious. Luckily, after nearly twenty-four hours of solid rest, the blue-eyed teen had been able to recover enough to complain about being "mothered" by his teammates and he had only returned to full strength the day before the unexpected meeting with Nagi.

After letting the men contemplate her words, Manx glanced at them each one at a time and added in a more gentle yet equally serious tone, "If we'd had a chance to let this assignment wait, we would have. But the main target is apparently considering relocating his operation to Osaka, and while sending you four there isn't out of the question, it is certainly not optimal."

"So, who *is* the target this time, Manx?" Ken asked in his usual blunt fashion, not willing to wait for the briefing to get underway properly. Catching a glare of rebuke from the redheaded woman, he amended, "Or rather, how much time do we get before the rat in question jumps ship?"

"Why don't we let Persia explain it, Siberian?" She accepted his nod and hit the button on the VCR remote. The wide-screen television lit up with the typical fuzzy image of a heavily-shadowed man and his deep voice began to give them the information that they needed.

"Good evening Weiss. We have need of your skills to help end the misery of hundreds of children and their families. This is Karl Glocksten, a 27 year-old native of Munich, Germany, currently in Japan on an extended business visa." 

The image on the screen flickered and was replaced by that of an effeminate man, not wholly unattractive, but clearly more in love with himself than anyone else. Golden brown hair hung to his shoulders in loose waves and piercing hazel eyes focused on an unfortunate man whom the camera only caught from behind. There was no sound to accompany the images, but it was clear that Glocksten was displeased with whomever it was he was speaking with. 

Negligently, the German twirled a lock of his hair around one finger even as he indicated to a nearby, heavy-set Japanese man to shoot to kill the person in front of them, something that was done without hesitation or question. Glocksten laughed and tossed his hair back, revealing striking onyx earrings which had some strange design carved into them that the camera failed to record dangling from his ears. He and the oriental man then turned and walked away from the corpse without so much as a second glance immediately before the film ended and Persia's image returned to the screen.

"What you have just observed is surveillance footage obtained at great risk and from a vantage point where nothing could be done to prevent the summary execution of the police detective you just saw die. Note that Glocksten's accomplice is known simply as 'Charon', and is your secondary target."

Still photos appeared ever so briefly as Persia's voice finally divulged the nature of the men they were being sent to kill. "Your targets are vile creatures. Glocksten is the ringleader of a child slavery and prostitution ring believed to be responsible for the abduction and disappearance of over 300 children in the Tokyo area alone in the last three years and possibly hundreds more elsewhere. Charon is a cold-blooded contract killer who has destroyed an unknown number of victims, but he is credited with murdering over twenty-five law enforcement officials from several regions of Japan over the last ten years. His elusive behavior in the past protected him, however. Now that he has allied himself with Glocksten, we have an opportunity to destroy him as well.

"All previous attempts to apprehend either of these men have failed and you are our last hope." The shadowed figure on the screen rose to it feet and exhorted, "Hunters of the night, deny these dark beasts their tomorrows!" [1] 

Manx flicked the lights back up and glanced around the room to take in the reactions on the four assassin's faces. She was pleased to see that they looked angry and more than ready to get involved in the assignment as she held up a manila envelope, asking, "Who's in on this case? Balinese?"

"As always," Yohji tried to sound casual and then dropped the act, growling as he paced in the back of the room, "but not necessarily in the order that Persia wants. That fucking asshole Charon killed three of my best buddies on the force while I was still a private investigator. I never thought I'd see a day that I might be able to avenge them and you can bet I'm going for blood on this one."

"Fair enough." The woman nodded, then turned and asked unnecessarily, "Siberian?"

"Of course I'm in," Ken snarled angrily from his spot on the couch. Children held a special spot in the former J-league player's heart and whenever they came across a villain that did anything to infringe on them, he was always ready to take his chances and go in claws slashing. "Any time we can put someone like this out of commission you know that I'm 'in', Manx, so don't give it a second thought."

What might have been a smile crossed the woman's lips but it faded immediately as she turned to Omi and asked, "What about you, Bombay? Are you going to be up to an assignment after last week?"

Cerulean eyes rolled in annoyance and didn't look the least bit happy as even the youngest nodded firmly, "I'm not made of glass, Manx, you of all people know that. And, yes, I'll be glad to help out." He rose and walked towards her, hand out in silent request for the small package she still held. [2] 

"Good," Manx finally did smile as she handed him the envelope of data and random bits of information that she had scavenged from the various failed investigations into both of the criminals' heinous activities over the past few years. 

There wasn't anything there that the other Kritiker agents could piece together, but none of their detectives were of Bombay's caliber when it came to solving puzzles like this one. They knew Glocksten had various contacts in the Tokyo underground and that he had even attended a few public gatherings of his "peers", but there was no information at all on his physical base of operations. It would be up to Omi to sort the tidbits of information, weed out the useless ones and then find the missing data to provide the Weiss team with a firing solution, in other words, a time and a place to assassinate the bastard and hopefully Charon, as well. 

Showing Aya the consideration due him as field leader of the group, Manx simply looked at the swordsman as he leaned against the wall lost in thought. "Well, Abyssinian? I already know your answer just by the look of you, so what's the problem? What's on your mind?"

Eyes like shards of violet ice rose to stare at her and Aya asked, "Does Glocksten have any connections to Takatori? Or this, what did you call him? The shooter?"

"'Charon'. Named after the ferryman for the dead on the river Styx in Greek mythology," Yohji offered in an annoyed tone. "The bastard can't even stick to his own heritage for taking an alias. Another good reason to eliminate him."

Ken bit back an urge to move to comfort his lover even as Yohji dropped gracelessly into a chair and glared at the motionless screen, staring at it as if it still held the face of the man he had every intention of seeing dead as soon as possible. Revenge was within reach if Omi could track the men down and Yohji's temporarily gathered anger only caused him a headache at this point. 

Aya, however, was unaware of his friends' various emotional responses as he repeated, "Do either of them have connections to Takatori or not, Manx?"

Manx looked at him with a mixture of apology and vindication. She knew that saying "yes" would put Aya on the case more firmly than he would be otherwise, but it would not be a complete truth. Taking a breath, she explained, "Yes and no, Abyssinian. Glocksten's been know to provide, 'resources' shall we say, to some of his son's more bizarre experiments, in the form of the bodies of the older children, both boys and girls, who couldn't take the pressures of the lifestyle he forced upon them. He's also been seen at various functions that it was later rumored that Takatori had attended in secret, but nothing more specific. Does that answer your question?" 

"Yes, it does," Aya replied. With an almost eager gleam in his eye, he stated, "In other words, we *might* run into *him* depending on what Bombay can provide for a rendezvous to kill Glocksten. But what about Charon? Anything there?"

"No, nothing at all," Manx frowned. Like Yohji, she, too, had lost people she cared for to the murderer and would've liked nothing more than to whet Aya's appetite for blood regarding him, too, but she wouldn't lie. "In fact, part of the reason he's been so hard to track for so long is that this is the first time he's ever actually entered a partnership of any kind with a notable target that we've been aware of. He's always been independent, taking contracts as they came from the yakuza, angry people whose hatred towards the police made them demand blood, or whomever. Charon really made a mistake this time by linking up with Glocksten, we can only hope he doesn't realize it before you get a chance to nail them both, ne?"

"Right," Ken said firmly, glancing at Omi who was already sorting the slips of paper with data and information into various piles and was lost in thought. "Hey, Omi? Want some help with that or should I escort Manx back to her car?"

Manx snorted in a most unladylike manner and gave him a harsh look, "And since when do you think that *I* need to be walked to my car, Siberian?"

Yohji glanced up, his emerald eyes smiling slightly at his lover as he stated, "Since Kenken realizes that I'm busy being too pissed off over here to act like a gentleman, Manx. Lighten up for once, would ya? Don't act like we haven't got any manners around here."

The tension in the air seemed to bend if not break as she finally laughed a little and nodded, "All right, I'll give you that, Balinese. You do indeed usually offer to walk me back to my car in the alley, but I thought that was so you could grab a cigarette before coming back in."

Clutching at his chest dramatically in response to this statement, Yohji gasped, "You question my noble intentions? You wound me to the very core, woman!" 

Then the wire-wielding assassin laughed a little and climbed to his feet, smirking slightly as he took her gently by the arm and guided her towards the spiral staircase back to the ground floor. "Well, that being the case and all, we shouldn't risk ruining our run of good luck by changing a tradition, now should we?" As they went up the stairs, he called over one shoulder, "I'll be back down in a bit, guys."

"No rush, Yohji-kun" Omi answered, turning one slip of paper from side to side and frowning before tossing it into the confidential waste. He saw the strange looks he was getting from his teammates and shrugged, "It read one thing when I held it one way and another entirely different thing when I turned it 180 degrees. It was useless, Ken-kun, Aya-kun."

"Hn," the redhead grunted and fished the fragment back out of the trash and handed it to Omi purposefully. "Keep it anyway. It might make more sense later and I know that Yohji would never forgive any of us if we missed a chance at Charon."

Chastened, Omi looked away, guilt displayed on his features as he put it into a pocket of his jeans for further consideration in the future, then went back to separating the information he'd been given into the numerous, seemingly random piles he was developing. 

Ken sighed and offered, "Why don't I go get us some tea? I know that Yohji's going to want to look over whatever info Kritiker already has on these two. After he does that, though, who knows? We might be going off to look for one of his favorite snitches or something later."

"Don't," Aya cautioned firmly. "If you need to get him to blow off some steam, go hit a club. Let's not do anything to let the targets know that they're being hunted."

"Sure thing, Aya," Ken agreed heading off in search of something for them to drink even as Omi booted up the computer, fingers flying as the password screen came to life displaying an imposing white cross and reminding them all who they really were.

For a fraction of a moment, the image of Omi's guilt-ridden face reappeared in Aya's mind and he considered apologizing for his unnecessarily harsh words to the young archer. But as quickly as it appeared, the thought vanished as his mind turned to the darker realities that they would all face. He asked quietly, "Was there anything in that information that indicates how long Kritiker thinks the targets will stay in the area?"

"Yes," Omi responded, never looking away from the computer as he flashed through screen after screen of information that would've made precious little sense to anyone but himself at the speed he was going. "There was a notation that Glocksten has tickets for a flight out of Narita Airport in ten days. This should give us more than enough time to take care of him as long as he doesn't know we're coming."

"And if he does know," Aya added flatly, "then we're as good as dead anyway. Anyone that can bring Charon over to his side probably has other equally deadly henchmen working for him too, right?"

Omi nodded and glanced over his shoulder darkly. "That's about the size of it. As soon as the others get back, I'll let you know a few physical details on these guys and then I'll get serious about tracking them down."

"Understood," Aya's voice hadn't warmed despite the fact that he would rather that it had. But once in "mission-mode"--as the others called it only half-mockingly--the man with the single lengthy golden earring would be hard pressed to let much of his humanity come forth despite knowing the confrontation with the enemy was days away. 

Even as Aya stood behind him and watched data stream past at an outrageous rate, Omi silently acknowledged that this was going to be a difficult task. He was more reasonable about what he expected to achieve with the small amount of information available and knew it would take time and patience to assemble everything they needed to eliminate the two targets who deserved the deaths that they would meet at the hands of Weiss. 

Despite his dedication to the mission, though, the young blond was also thinking of his own personal plans for the next day when completing a previously undesirable school assignment would allow him to see a new friend who was actually an old enemy. 

Omi couldn't actually recall a time when he'd been looking forward to something the way he did seeing Nagi again and talking more. The Schwarz telekinetic intrigued him and was the only one outside Weiss that he knew would understand some of the darker burdens that he carried. Not that he hoped they'd talk about those types of things, not at all, he just knew that the usually unspoken truths about them would be understood and that could make it one of the most honest friendships he'd had in years.

*****

To be continued.

Author's Notes:

[1] I was sorely tempted to rewrite Persia's infamous "call to arms" so it wouldn't sound so hokey, but I just couldn't bring myself to do so. The wording here is as per the subtitles for episode 10 on the second Media Blasters "Weiss Kreuz" DVD and isn't as bad as some of the other versions I've seen.

[2] Since I don't want to include spoilers that can be avoided, for those of you who have seen the series and are wondering why the secret revealed in episode 7 isn't causing Omi sorrow here, please assume this takes place before that happened.

[Posting Run Dedication] This evening's posting run is hereby dedicated to my kitten, Ryoko. Our evil German bishounen is loosely based on a narcissistic ex-boyfriend of hers and I thought it might be nice for her to get to watch the florist/assassins hunt him down and kill him off. As to whether or not Weiss gets to actually do that remains to be seen, though, since the battle scene remains in the vast outline for the uncompleted portions of this story. 

Please be advised: Parts 3 & 4 will be posted together.

Originally posted: 27 October 2002 ~1:35am EST

Revised chapter posted: 12 March 2003 ~7:00pm EST


	5. A Few Surprises ::rev::

Happy Halloween!

I sincerely hope someone is enjoying this story and I wanted to thank the readers responsible for the over 50 hit counts it has here at MediaMiner.org. 

Enjoy the tricks as well as treats in chapters 5-7 which were added together on All Hallow's Eve!

E-sama the Llama

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

****

Title: Neutral Territory [part 5/?]

Author: Enigma

Written: begun October, 2001 

Rating: R 

Pairings: (Omi + Nagi) (Yohji + Ken) (Brad + Schu) 

Category: Shonen ai/Yaoi Angst Friendship Romance Action Violence. AU-OOC. Giftfic.

Archive: fanfiction.net & mediaminer.org [author: "E-sama the Llama"] plus Wuffie.net [author: "Enigma"]

Warnings: shonen ai/yaoi, angst, masculine friendship in many forms, various levels of romance, action, coarse language, whiffs of citrus but nothing detailed, possibly graphic violence, bloodshed, tiny bits of humor, fluff, and sap; more warnings will be added as necessary. AU-OOC. Giftfic for Rubious.

Spoilers: Aya's sister's condition and a few other small things, nothing major.

Disclaimer: "Weiss Kreuz" is the property of Koyasu Takehito and Project Weiss. All original characters featured herein (including but not limited to: Glocksten, Charon, etc.) are © Enigma, 2002, and are not to be used without permission. This unauthorized work of fanfiction is intended for entertainment only; kindly do not sue me.

Notes: Omi's first trip to the public library results in an unexpected meeting when Nagi saves his life without being aware of the Weiss archer's identity. Can two lonely teens overcome the limits of their dark purpose in life to find friendship and possibly love in the midst of "neutral territory"? 

//thoughts// 

{{mental speech}}

*****

Monday night. The basement of the flower shop.

*****

The sound of laughter drifted down the spiral staircase as Yohji and Ken carried four steaming mugs of tea down to the mission room, the older of the two looking forward to getting the remaining information on Charon that was immediately available.

Omi explained to them that the searches he was initiating would take between twenty-four and forty-eight hours to complete and that would be the soonest he had even a vague idea when and where they might try to take out the targets. The other three members of Weiss offered what meager assistance they could this early in the search but knew they'd end up simply working on checking their weaponry for readiness and obtaining additional equipment as Omi specified it as being needed. 

Physical descriptions of both men were discussed, the information being filed away mentally for future use since none of it would assist them in locating their foes. A variety of photos were examined before being set aside in favor of an examination of the records Kritiker had so far which were spotty at best and merely indicative at worst. 

It had become immediately clear to Omi that most of the problem with the small amount of records for Charon that they had so far was that the man had an uncanny ability to detect that he was being watched and then kill the watcher. It wasn't an especially cheerful discovery to find out that the man you seek might be able to seek you in return, but Omi wouldn't let that stop him. The Weiss tactician had an "uncanny ability" of his own called overwhelming good luck, something that had stood him in good stead for most of his young life.

After a few hours, though, it was agreed that the four young men had made as much progress as they could for one evening on the new case.

Stretching like a bored cat, Yohji had eventually proclaimed that he needed to go out for awhile and invited Ken and Aya to join him, Omi didn't feel slighted by not being asked to come since he had homework to do. The chocolate-eyed teen agreed immediately, of course, just to keep the emerald-eyed flirt out of trouble if nothing else. But as expected, Aya refused, citing that he had first shift in the flower shop in the morning and pointedly reminding the brunette that he needed to be there, too.

Ken laughed and promised he'd be on time, one way or the other, and then bid Omi good-night, "Well, Omi, remember to get to bed soon, you've got school tomorrow!"

"I will, Ken-kun." He smiled brightly at Ken and Yohji both while adding, "Don't forget that I have to go back to the library afterward to finish that geography project."

"No problem, Omiitchi," Yohji teased and ruffled the smaller blond's hair playfully. "Have fun!" He mocked as he drew Ken away to get ready to go out.

Aya frowned at the light-heartedness around him, but kept quiet. Despite his attitude, he knew the others were as dedicated as he was, they just behaved differently than he did, something he was beginning to think might be healthier than his own stern approach to life. 

As the slender swordsman turned to walk away wordlessly, Omi called out, "Aya-kun? Don't worry, I'll get everything ready as quickly as possible." 

"I know you will, Omi," Aya responded without turning around, afraid that he might lose some of his focus if he stayed to chat with the pleasant-natured youth. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," the seventeen year old answered and slipped a "Daft Punk" CD into the computer, allowing the strains of "One More Time" to accompany him even as he dragged out his textbooks and got to work on the things people his own age usually worried about. While he truly wanted to see Weiss track down and eliminate these latest blights on society, right now Omi wanted to accomplish something else first. He wanted to make sure that there wouldn't be any delays leaving school on time the next day due to needing to finish overdue homework. After all, there was a pair of midnight blue eyes he wanted to see again.

*****

Tuesday afternoon. Omi's school and then the streets of Tokyo.

*****

School seemed to drag on Tuesday as Omi tried to stay focused on the teacher's lecture and failed. The clear skies and sunshine outside rarely distracted him the way it had during his last three classes of the day, and he found himself repeatedly wondering whether or not Nagi really would meet him as planned.

//What if Nagi doesn't show up at the library today? Maybe yesterday was just a fluke and he already regrets talking to me?//

After chewing nervously on his pencil, Omi absently made a note of the homework assignment in his last class of the day, relieved that math was one of his best subjects and that he didn't particularly need to pay attention to the teacher. Bright blue eyes glanced out a window at a sky of a similar color and he waited impatiently for the school day to end.

//I wonder if he really will start on that project I told him about? I mean, how much fun can it be to look up information for someone else's stuff instead of your own? After all, I couldn't care less about the damned dam in the first place!//

Stifling a giggle at his own silent joke, Omi jumped to his feet within moments of class being dismissed and was out of the building and on his motorcycle in record time. 

Traffic was disturbed by a line of limousines snaking through downtown Tokyo and Omi frowned in uncommon annoyance and impatience with the situation. When the route he was on was suddenly detoured by a policewoman, he couldn't stand not knowing what was going on any longer. 

Pausing, he asked, "Officer? What's going on? Is it the Prime Minister or something?"

The woman glanced at him and sighed, shaking her head even as she motioned for the cars to keep moving while she spoke to the boy, "I wish! No, it's a group of American musicians here for a concert tonight. Why anyone wants to go see the Backstreet Boys or N*SYNC is beyond me, but that's what I have to contend with!"

Omi scrunched up his nose in distaste and agreed, "I'm with you, but the girls I go to school with would be thrilled to be stuck in traffic if they thought they'd catch a glimpse of them."

"This is true," the officer nodded then smiled as she stopped the cars in both directions to create a pathway for the boy she'd been speaking with. "Better get going now, though. Where're you headed, son?"

"The library, why?" Omi looked at her curiously as he prepared to resume his trip.

The woman frowned and answered as she motioned him to pull into traffic again, "I was hoping to suggest a better route, but you're kind of stuck. The concert hall is on the road you need to take. When you leave, make sure to go another way home to avoid it, okay?"

"Sure thing! Thank you!" He smiled and waved a little, easing the bike back into the slow stream of cars, silently cursing boy bands and wondering why he had run into trouble on both his first *and* second trips to the public library. If there wasn't a chance that Nagi might be waiting there for him as planned, Omi might've been tempted to forget the trip entirely. But the moment the dark-haired boy's image came to mind, any thoughts of turning back were banished and Omi continued to make his way slowly through the streets of Tokyo.

*****

Tuesday mid-afternoon. The library.

*****

Dashing past the metal detectors at the front door and waving cheerfully at the wide-eyed librarians at the service desk, Omi headed for the reference room worrying over the fact that he was an hour later than he had planned to be. Trying to not become disheartened, though, he searched up and down a few aisles of shelves before finding the person he sought sitting at a table in a quiet corner of the room.

"Nagi! Hi!" Omi greeted, noting the tiny smile that almost crept onto the younger boy's face as the telekinetic looked up to greet him.

"Hello, Omi," Nagi replied in his usual subdued tones. Failing to keep the curiosity out of his voice, he added, "I was beginning to wonder if you were still coming."

Running a nervous hand through his messy hair to try to calm it after spending too long under the motorcycle helmet, the blond responded, "I am *so* sorry about that! The traffic getting here was just terrible. I asked a policewoman about it and she said something about there being a concert tonight."

Nagi winced slightly and nodded sagely, "Oh, right, the one with all the 'bishounen' that the girls at school have been talking about. I'd forgotten about that." The lack of emotion on his face failed to conceal distinct discomfort from the observant young man whose eyes were drinking in the very sight of him and Omi might've laughed at what it took to annoy the Schwarz psychic. 

The too-slender youth could face any number of life-threatening situations, but females his own age were a source of terror to Nagi. They always seemed to want to touch him or try to draw him into their insipid conversations and he simply couldn't stand it.

Sighing as he eased the heavy backpack off his shoulders finally, Omi smiled then sat down across from his newest friend and asked, "Well, now that I *am* here, why don't we get started on that stupid geography project of mine? I'd like to get that out of the way so we can go talk some more if you still want to, Nagi."

Again, the traces of emotion that Omi were able to detect from the younger assassin spoke volumes, yet Nagi's small smile of triumph wasn't even concealed at all as midnight blue eyes rose to capture cerulean ones for a timeless moment. Breaking the silence, the sable-haired boy asserted in a shy tone, "Actually, I got here earlier than I expected I would and I've already gotten everything you mentioned that you wanted." Gesturing at some documents nearby, he offered, "It's all right here, if you want to take a look."

Shocked, Omi blinked for a moment, tried to find something to say that didn't sound utterly imbecilic then nodded. "You did all that for *me*? Really?" His gaze reluctantly fell away from the boy he was enjoying staring at to land on the tabletop which was littered with photocopies of pages from various atlases and other references. 

As the older boy quickly sorted through the papers and tried to gather his scattered thoughts, Nagi took a moment to observe him in turn. 

The youngest member of Schwarz had rarely known anyone his own age that he could bear to talk to at length and despite his severe shyness, he'd been looking forward to seeing Omi that afternoon hoping that he might have finally found a friend. But when the other boy was so late arriving that Nagi began to believe he'd been disappointed yet again, he started to doubt that himself. 

The fact that Omi seemed so upset to have been late arriving had erased those fears and made Nagi even more glad that he'd continued to work on gathering the information that the other boy needed, knowing they'd have more free time together if he did. An added bonus was the simple reality that by doing this for Omi, he might someday wish to repay his kindness, but Nagi wasn't manipulative enough to think of it that way.

As his thoughts turned to considering how nice it was that Omi didn't have to wear a school uniform since the tan slacks and soft white cotton shirt he had on enhanced his already attractive features, Omi interrupted his train of thought saying, "Nagi, you're amazing!"

Nagi's head whipped up and he looked startled as Omi threw a positively radiant smile at him, the joy in his voice unmistakable as he continued, "I can't *believe* this! You got every last thing that I mentioned off the top of my head at the sushi shop plus about five other great things I'd never have thought of in a million years! How did you *do* that?!"

Embarrassed by such effusive words of praise since he never heard them elsewhere, the telekinetic looked away shyly and shook his head, "It was nothing, Omi, really. I just pulled a few things together while I waited for you. No big deal." 

"Oh yes it is!" Omi insisted happily, picking up and looking over a color photocopy of a detailed map of the various cities affected by the construction of the Aswan High Dam that Nagi had found in an obscure atlas written in Russian. "This is *perfect* and a hell of a lot better than anything I would've come up with! How can I ever thank you for all of this?"

"Um," Nagi could feel the unusual sensation of heat flowing into his cheeks but could do nothing to stop the barest hint of a blush as it lightly tinted his alabaster complexion. He found himself at a total loss for words as he wondered what his teammates might think of his current situation. 

If Schuldich had been there, the German telepath would've been hounding Nagi immediately for an explanation of the odd behavior. Always eager to find an excuse to tease the youngest member of the group, the redhead would've found it far more interesting to see just who it was that invoked such a strong reaction in the first place. The fact that it was another boy would be delicious in and of itself, but since it was Omi in particular, it was guaranteed that Schuldich would've found this blackmail-worthy for months to come if he didn't kill the boy from Weiss the very moment he recognized him.

If Crawford had been there to witness it, he would've misinterpreted the blush as a sign of illness, fever being the only thing to have ever colored the Japanese boy's pale cheeks ordinarily. The relationship between himself and the American was confusing to Nagi. He knew that the much older man felt a certain amount of responsibility for him since the precognitive was the one to rescue him from the streets of Tokyo as a child as well as being the leader of Schwarz. The deeper aspects of their relationship were unsettling to Nagi and he found it simply easier to disregard them totally.

If Farfarello had been the one present, he most likely wouldn't have noticed at all, but he might have found it interesting that despite the horrors the young boy had been exposed to, Nagi could still react at all. Many people thought that the Irishman had no idea what went on around him for the most part, but that would be doing him a great disservice. During his moments of clarity, the amber-eyed man was more acutely aware of the strange balance that he and his three teammates maintained between them than even they were. Unfortunately, such moments were infrequent enough that he was either ignored or humored for the most part unless they had an assignment that required his unique abilities with a blade. 

Nagi's thoughts of his teammates might've gone so far as to consider their reaction to his growing interest in Omi on a personal level, but they were disrupted as he felt someone step close enough to touch him lightly on the shoulder.

Drawing the suddenly silent boy from his thoughts, Omi who had been concerned by Nagi's sudden distant expression gently squeezed his friend's shoulder sending a new array of thoughts through the telekinetic's mind. Ordinarily, the dark-haired youth didn't like to be touched by anyone for any reason. During his short and difficult life, being touched was frequently a prelude to being hurt and he'd maintained a distance from even the other members of Schwarz when it came to such things, but this seemed different. 

In the split second that the two boys stared into each other's eyes and Omi's hand remained where it was, Nagi realized that this sensation was nice, caring, and reassuring in a way that nothing else had been in a very long time. Vague memories of how good it had felt to be warm and safe the first few days after Crawford had taken him from the streets flit past his mind. 

Omi had no idea that this was the first time he'd dared to touch Nagi without social conditioning to guide him and therefore missed the significance of the fact that he hadn't been telekinetically blasted into a wall for daring to invade the younger boy's personal space. Instead, he was aware of how terribly thin the body beneath the gray school uniform must truly be, the bones barely covered by what seemed to him to be not enough flesh in the first place. A grim determination grew in the back of his mind to see to it that Nagi took better care of himself despite the fact that they were enemies at times. An intrinsically caring individual, Omi would've felt the same for almost anyone, yet there was something about Nagi that called to him and he answered without hesitation.

Breaking the momentary silence, Omi finally dropped his hand and smiled as he offered, "Tell you what. Since you've got all this wrapped up already, why don't we go get something to eat? You said yesterday that you didn't want sushi two days in a row, so what'll it be?" 

Nagi immediately missed the warmth on his shoulder as the brief contact was lost, but he forced himself to regain what he thought was an emotionless expression as he answered humbly, "I still don't think I did all that much, Omi, but getting something to eat sounds good. I saw a noodle stand by the subway station a block from here. Would that work?"

Bright blue eyes contained more of the hopeful smile on the older boy's lips as Omi nodded. "Sounds fine to me, Nagi. Let me get all this stuff into my backpack and we can walk over there, okay?"

"Sure," Nagi shrugged as if he didn't really care, but he was secretly thrilled to see the care with which his new friend gathered up the fruits of his labor and placed it safely into the heavy bag. 

In next to no time, the two teens were headed back out into the pleasant afternoon sunshine. Omi let Nagi lead the way while noticing that the smaller boy seemed to be more relaxed around him than he had been the day before and feeling grateful for it. The younger boy's extra effort on the research project was appreciated, of course, but it was the growing sense of rightness Omi felt just being in Nagi's presence that he truly treasured. 

There was no telling what this new friendship might mean to the pair of teenaged assassins, yet both wanted to find out and the next step would be taken over something as mundane as steaming bowls of soba.

*****

To be continued.

Please be advised: Parts 5 - 7 will be posted together.


	6. Revelations ::rev::

****

Title: Neutral Territory [part 6/?]

Author: Enigma

Written: begun October, 2001 

Rating: R 

Pairings: (Omi + Nagi) (Yohji + Ken) (Brad + Schu) 

Category: Shonen ai/Yaoi Angst Friendship Romance Action Violence. AU-OOC. Giftfic.

Archive: fanfiction.net & mediaminer.org [author: "E-sama the Llama"] plus Wuffie.net [author: "Enigma"]

Warnings: shonen ai/yaoi, angst, masculine friendship in many forms, various levels of romance, action, coarse language, whiffs of citrus but nothing detailed, possibly graphic violence, bloodshed, tiny bits of humor, fluff, and sap; more warnings will be added as necessary. AU-OOC. Giftfic for Rubious.

Spoilers: Aya's sister's condition and a few other small things, nothing major.

Disclaimer: "Weiss Kreuz" is the property of Koyasu Takehito and Project Weiss. All original characters featured herein (including but not limited to: Glocksten, Charon, etc.) are © Enigma, 2003, and are not to be used without permission. This unauthorized work of fanfiction is intended for entertainment only; kindly do not sue me.

Notes: Omi's first trip to the public library results in an unexpected meeting when Nagi saves his life without being aware of the Weiss archer's identity. Can two lonely teens overcome the limits of their dark purpose in life to find friendship and possibly love in the midst of "neutral territory"? 

//thoughts// 

{{mental speech}}

*****

Tuesday late afternoon. Unnamed café that specialized in noodles.

*****

Conversation between the two boys was remarkably relaxed once they got over the first stumbling attempts not to discuss their conflicting "night lives". Omi had been delighted to see that the "noodle stand" Nagi had spotted was actually a fairly nice little café where they both ordered the specialty of the house, generous bowls of noodles, broth, vegetables, and just enough meat to add flavor.

'This looks great! Thanks!" Omi remarked enthusiastically as he nodded to the waitress and the two young men were then left alone to enjoy their meals in a corner booth of the small establishment. Dipping his chopsticks into the bowl and stirring it as he added a heavy dash of a spicy powder mix to his own, he couldn't miss the look of concern on Nagi's face. He asked, "Something wrong with yours, Nagi?"

The smaller boy shook his head and then frowned microscopically as he replied, "I'll never be able to eat all of this, Omi. There's more here than I usually eat in an entire day."

"Oh?" Omi pretended to feign disinterest, yet he was pleased to have an excuse to follow-up on his earlier observation. "This is the usual amount for a place like this. You don't ordinarily eat much, I take it?"

"No, not really," Nagi commented, unawares that his new friend was taking more than a passing interest in the matter. "Then again, I skip lunch at school and at home the cooking is, shall we say, less than stellar?" 

The expressionless mask the telekinetic preferred to hide behind had returned as they had walked to the noodle stand from the library, but it was useless now that the perceptive Weiss archer could see through it so easily. Omi might not have seen the full range of emotions that Nagi was capable of by any stretch of the imagination, but he was gaining insight with every passing moment. He knew that the tone of voice Nagi had just used was one that he seemed to reserve for things that pertained to Schwarz as a pseudo-family instead of as a team of killers and saboteurs. 

As Omi was about to try to change the direction of the conversation so he could find out more about why Nagi was so painfully thin, the dark-haired boy continued his earlier thought. "I've never really enjoyed cooking and the others won't even try. Well, that's not true," a tiny sardonic smile tugged at one corner of his mouth before being banished, "Farfie tries to make stuff every so often, but it usually tastes so nasty that I stopped even forcing myself to eat it. If Crawford's in a good mood for a change, we might all go to a restaurant or get some carry-out, but usually he and Schuldich go out. They'll take Farfie if he's halfway sane, but usually it's just me, the microwave, and whatever's in the freezer."

Sadness filled Omi's eyes and he nodded slowly, hoping that Nagi wouldn't ask about his own home life where food was involved. 

Maybe it was the fact that the members of Weiss considered one another friends instead of merely coworkers, but they all took care of each other and it was exceedingly rare that Omi ate alone much less had to fend for himself. Finally unable to keep from commenting, he stated simply, "That's too bad, Nagi. Maybe we can get together for dinner off and on now so you won't have to eat by yourself."

"I'd like that," the shy youth answered, looking down into his noodles before asking with carefully concealed curiosity, "What was that you put on your soba? Is it good?"

The warm smile slipped back onto Omi's lips as he offered the powder, warning, "It's a mixture of spices that I love, but be careful! There's a bit of a kick to it that you might not like."

"'Kick'? What do you mean?" Nagi asked, sprinkling some onto a small mound of noodles that he then scooped up with his chopsticks and popped into his mouth.

"Nagi!! Wait!!" Omi tried to reach out to prevent him from eating it all at once, afraid that Nagi might hurt himself, hand hanging in midair over the table as he realized he was too late.

Nagi, however, shocked him entirely by simply chewing the bite thoughtfully and then swallowing with a tiny nod and no evidence of discomfort whatsoever. Showing no reaction beyond the nod, the telekinetic put down his chopsticks and sipped at his hot tea before commenting, "It does add a bit of flavor, Omi, but what's the 'kick' you mentioned?"

"Uh," the older boy's mouth hung open slightly as Omi tried to grasp the fact that Nagi had just eaten about four times as much of the spice as he would've dared, then he shook his head and forced himself to explain, "It's kind of spicy. Not even Yohji-kun can eat that much of it at one time and not end up draining a glass of water! Er, wasn't that hot to you?"

Unfazed, Nagi regarded him with moderate disbelief as he sprinkled more of the spice onto the bowl of noodles and shook his head minutely, sending tendrils of dark chocolate hair to wisp about his head as he answered, "No, not at all. Maybe I should've mentioned that I rather like spicy foods when I can get them. Thai, Indian, Mexican, Szechuan, things like that."

"Oh, Nagi-kun, that's too much," Omi dropped his face into his hands in utter disbelief and missed the unmasked expression of sheer delight that danced onto Nagi's face as he unconsciously added the small endearment to the other boy's name. 

Even though he'd never have mentioned it aloud, Nagi had felt a twinge of jealousy at the way Omi had always added the honorific to the names of his teammates but not himself. Despite the fact that the outgoing and friendly blond seemed to have accepted him without question or hesitation, the shy telekinetic had doubted he'd be worthy of such consideration in so short a time no matter how much he craved it. 

Now, though, Nagi's heart soared and sang, a rare true happiness filling it and allowing him to go one step further past his usual restraints as he asked, "Um, Omi? May I ask you a question? A, uh, personal question?" 

Shaking himself out of his overreaction to Nagi's preference for spicy food, Omi looked up and answered, "Sure, what would you like to know?" The cerulean-eyed teen was more than a little distracted since he'd assumed that almost everything about the smaller boy indicated he was fragile at one level or another. He'd been afraid that he'd caused Nagi harm by giving him the spice mix without sufficient warning and he was still wondering how he could have been so very wrong. 

Nervous sweat broke out on trembling pale hands as Nagi tried to find the courage to ask Omi if he was interested in anyone or not in a romantic sense, but at the last moment he changed his mind and blurted out, "Um, how old are you?"

"Huh?" Omi blinked in confusion, the set-up for the question implied something far more significant than a simple factual matter. While he was certain that Nagi was about to say something else, he answered easily with a casual shrug of his shoulders, "Oh, that's easy! I'm seventeen. I know everybody thinks I'm a lot younger, it's the way I dress or something, I guess. Or maybe it's because my eyes seem so big, I dunno, but, uh, yeah, I'm seventeen."

Why he was rambling and suddenly blushing a little was beyond Omi at that moment, yet it most likely had a lot to do with the intense midnight blue gaze that was directed at him while he answered the question. Nagi found the other boy's sudden lack of confidence rather sweet, he'd always seemed so strong when they met in battle, these new aspects of the boy he had previously only known as "Bombay" were intriguing to him.

The quiet remained unbroken until Omi asked, "How old are you, Nagi-kun? Are you seventeen, too?"

"Me?" Nagi asked in a surprised tone, no one ever overestimated his age, he was used to being mistaken for much younger on a regular basis. "I'm sorry, Omi, but no. I'm only fifteen."

The older boy looked startled but not too bothered by this revelation. They were only two years apart in age and both still in high school, he didn't see a problem with their developing friendship the way it might have been effected if Nagi had said he was twelve or something absurd. 

There wasn't a chance for Omi to comment, though, as Nagi frowned imperceptibly, and not wishing to risk lying to the boy he was coming to like a great deal, he added, "Well, at least we *think* that I'm fifteen. Even Crawford couldn't be absolutely sure. Confirming the identity of an anonymous street orphan isn't a sure thing even with his resources."

Darkness flooded the usually genki boy's face as Omi inquired, "What do you mean about being a nameless street orphan? I mean, you know your own name and everything, I assumed you were kind of like me, someone with a strange background, but nothing *that* strange." [1] 

Apparently the emotional darkness was contagious and Nagi suddenly pushed the barely tasted bowl of noodles away from himself since he was no longer hungry. He sighed and dropped his eyes, studying his clasped hands as they rested on the table in front of him, unconsciously letting the warmth of the spot where the bowl had been spread into him to keep the recalled chill away. 

Sadness was in his voice as Nagi explained, "I only remember a little about having a home and a family before Crawford found me. My parents were not very nice people and I only recall bits and pieces, but I know that one night when I was five or maybe six, I had to either run away from home or die there, so I ran. I ran as far as I could and kept running until I collapsed somewhere and cried myself to sleep. That was the first night I spent on the streets."

Breath caught in Omi's throat and he barely whispered, "oh, nagi, no." [2] 

The blond wanted desperately to stop the other boy's obviously painful confession, but his plea went unheard as Nagi continued, "I dug through trashcans for food and I stole when I had to. There were other kids who lived on the street that hated me for various reasons and I had to fight them at times, but mostly I ran and hid. I'm not sure how long I lived that way, and after awhile some of the things I did just to stay alive …" his voice choked and the words trailed off for a moment. 

The telekinetic visibly paled as his eyes slid shut in remembered pain of long nights spent allowing adults to use his child's body for things it should never have had to experience all in the name of a warm place to sleep for a change and a hot meal. After taking a steadying breath, Nagi resumed as if he'd not paused, "I'd really rather not talk about that part of it, but eventually Crawford found me. He told me that he could help me and he didn't try to take advantage of me the way other men did, never forced himself on me sexually or anything, so I went with him. That's how I ended up in Schwarz."

Hot pinpricks stabbed the backs of Omi's eyes as Nagi's tale of a level of suffering that no child should ever have to endure spilled quietly out between them. Fighting a desire to express his outrage and his shame that such a thing could occur to so gentle a soul, Omi did what came to mind first and gently placed his own hands over Nagi's where they trembled on the table between them.

Frightened midnight blue orbs rose to stare at compassionate cerulean ones and something passed between the two young men that neither had ever experienced with anyone other than their teammates. 

First, shared sorrow and a deep sense of regret moved from soul to soul. Next came a confusing shared wish to have had this conversation much sooner, something that neither understood since it had hurt so very badly in the first place. Comprehension of the fact that like the demons of Pandora's Box, the words that had been loosed into the afternoon air could never be reclaimed and the new bonds that were being spun between them were made stronger because of it. And, finally, acceptance. The ultimate gift of one boy to another that no matter what his life before had been like or how his life was now, Omi still accepted Nagi completely, openly, and without hesitation.

It was an incredibly powerful moment for both of them.

A moment that was, unfortunately, broken by the sound of a distinctly feminine voice as the waitress cleared her throat nervously and asked, "Um, excuse me for interrupting, but I just wanted to know if there's something wrong with the soba?"

Omi startled slightly and gave Nagi's hands a gentle reassuring squeeze before releasing them and smiling at the girl brightly, forcing the very private matters the two boys had been sharing back into his mind for later consideration. "Oh, no, it's fine, thanks! We, er, we're not as hungry as we thought, just give us a little extra time, okay?" 

"No problem," the girl said, clearly relieved. "You've only been here a little while, I wasn't trying to rush you, it's just that you weren't eating and I was afraid you didn't like it, and oh, never mind, I'm sorry to have interrupted."

"It's perfectly all right, miss," Nagi spoke up doing his best to imitate Omi's outward expression. Hoping to break some of the tension in the air, he added with forced cheer, "But do you have anything spicier than the powder that was on the table?"

"Huh?" She picked up the container and glanced at it, giving Omi a chance to sneak a quick very private smile of congratulations to the boy across the table while she peered at it. "Oh, sure thing! I've got two others you can try. I like to put powdered wasabi on mine, but that's a bit much for most people. Let me get you some other stuff, okay?"

"Thank you," Nagi said politely and watched her rush away before turning to give Omi the first open smile he had consciously chosen to share. It was barely a shift of the telekinetic's lips, yet to his companion, it was more radiant than a supernova. "And thank *you*, Omi, for listening to my story and not judging me for it."

The sad smile Omi gave him in return was more honest and truthful than anything Nagi could recall seeing in quite some time as he told him, "I'd never have believed all that if I had heard it from someone else, Nagi-kun. I can't imagine living the way you must have, but judge you for it? Why would I do that?"

A heavy sigh echoed through a too-thin chest as Nagi said simply, "Most people do, Omi. The minute they find out I grew up on the streets, they assume a lot of things about me and while some of them might've been true a long time ago, most of them aren't true now. I'm just glad I can tell you all of that and we can still be friends." Suddenly uncertain, he asked nervously, "Um, we *are* friends, aren't we, Omi?"

"Absolutely!" Omi confirmed forcefully, wanting to reach out and gather the other boy's hands into his own once more, but the waitress was on her way towards them, bringing assorted condiments for Nagi to try, so he just added, "I think being friends sounds great to me, Nagi-kun. I hope we can talk more later, but right now, why don't we eat our dinner before it gets cold?"

Nagi slowly retreated back towards a less emotional state as the waitress stepped closer and set a small tray on the table saying, "That's a good idea. Soba reheats okay in the microwave if it has to, but it's so much better fresh! Now, why don't you try some of these and let me know what you think, okay?" She smiled at both boys before hurrying away.

Omi watched Nagi look through the spices with some interest and shook his head in mild amusement. His new friend was an astoundingly deep person whose soul seemed to be filled with secrets and puzzles. But right at that moment, all that the blond wanted from the sable-haired boy was to see that rare smile again sometime soon, preferably after he ate a good meal, but soon just the same.

*****

To be continued.

Author's Notes:

[1] Since I'm trying to keep this story as spoiler-free as possible, I won't add any further details about Omi's background at this point. But for those of you who know it already, doesn't that comment seem dreadfully ironic?

[2] As those who've read some of my other works already know, I use dialogue written in all lowercase letters to indicate when something is said very softly in a whisper or even a gasp. Hence, Omi's reaction to the initial revelation of Nagi's horrible past is intended to reflect how shocked he is by it.

Please be advised: Parts 5 - 7 will be posted together.

Originally posted: 31 October 2002 ~2:53am EST

Revised chapter posted: 12 March 2003 ~7:00pm EST


	7. Sharing Trust, Making Plans ::rev::

****

Title: Neutral Territory [part 7/?]

Author: Enigma

Written: begun October, 2001 

Rating: R 

Pairings: (Omi + Nagi) (Yohji + Ken) (Brad + Schu) 

Category: Shonen ai/Yaoi Angst Friendship Romance Action Violence. AU-OOC. Giftfic.

Archive: fanfiction.net & mediaminer.org [author: "E-sama the Llama"] plus Wuffie.net [author: "Enigma"]

Warnings: shonen ai/yaoi, angst, masculine friendship in many forms, various levels of romance, action, coarse language, whiffs of citrus but nothing detailed, possibly graphic violence, bloodshed, tiny bits of humor, fluff, and sap; more warnings will be added as necessary. AU-OOC. Giftfic for Rubious.

Spoilers: Aya's sister's condition and a few other small things, nothing major.

Disclaimer: "Weiss Kreuz" is the property of Koyasu Takehito and Project Weiss. All original characters featured herein (including but not limited to: Glocksten, Charon, etc.) are © Enigma, 2003, and are not to be used without permission. This unauthorized work of fanfiction is intended for entertainment only; kindly do not sue me.

Notes: Omi's first trip to the public library results in an unexpected meeting when Nagi saves his life without being aware of the Weiss archer's identity. Can two lonely teens overcome the limits of their dark purpose in life to find friendship and possibly love in the midst of "neutral territory"? 

//thoughts// 

{{mental speech}}

*****

Tuesday late afternoon. Unnamed café that specialized in noodles.

*****

Surprisingly and to Omi's great relief, Nagi was able to find his appetite again once he tried the various new spices the waitress had brought. 

Wanting to show his midnight-eyed companion that he was glad the younger boy had found something he enjoyed and possibly find something else they had in common, Omi decided to give a couple of the condiments a try. Unfortunately, he failed to take Nagi at his word regarding the sable-haired youth's penchant for spicy foods and he ended up gasping for breath as he nearly inhaled both of their glasses of water after using the mixture that the diminutive telekinetic had decided tasted best to him.

"Oh my god!" Omi gasped even as Nagi fought to keep from openly showing his amusement, "Are you trying to *kill* me, Nagi-kun?!" 

Trying to mimic the pathetic puppy dog look that Schuldich used on Crawford when he was caught attempting to abscond with the precognitive's champagne-colored BMW without permission, Nagi shook his head and answered, "No, Omi, of course not." 

Even as Omi temporarily believed that he'd made a mistake and upset the other boy, Nagi finally gave in and allowed a very small grin to sneak out. With an apologetic expression, the sable-haired boy offered, "But I warned you not to leave the wasabi and the dragon spice mix on the noodles for so long. Are you alright now?"

Cerulean eyes watered with tears from the strong reaction that he'd had as Omi nodded and then laughed outright, "Yeah, I think I'll live. Besides," he winked at Nagi, causing midnight blue eyes to widen in amazement, "now I've got a great trick to pull on Yohji-kun the next time we go to his favorite noodle place! He'll never refuse a challenge like this and with any luck at all, he'll even make a bet on it and lose for a change!"

Nagi's tiny grin smoothed out into a barely perceptible smile and he nodded as he glanced into the dish in front of him. Surprised, he looked back up at his companion and remarked, "I can't believe I actually ate almost half of that. I guess I really *was* a lot hungrier than I thought."

After noting how much was in the telekinetic's bowl, Omi frowned slightly and looked into his own dish and saw that it was almost empty. His concerns for Nagi's health returned to the forefront of his mind and he was about to bring the subject up again when he heard a soft sigh of disappointment. Looking up, he realized that the other boy was gazing out the window at the slowly setting sun and he immediately knew what was on Nagi's mind. 

"It's almost time for me to go," Nagi sighed again, practically radiating unhappiness despite his emotionally blank expression. 

"I know," Omi pouted a little, trying to catch Nagi's eye and possibly cheer him up with his hopefully comical appearance. Failing that, he asked seriously, "Did you get in any trouble last night for coming in late?" 

"No, Schuldich and Crawford had already gone out and Farfie didn't care. 'Good Eats' was showing on Food Network and nothing can distract him when that show's on." The disappointment in Nagi's voice confused both of them somewhat, but then he added, "Just the same, I shouldn't take any chances of giving Crawford an excuse to ground me or anything."

Omi looked at him strangely, "Can he really *do* that to you?" Nagi nodded and glanced at him as he added with growing anger, "But you're not *his* kid! What gives him the right to tell you where you can go and what time you have to be home?"

Nagi looked at him with disbelief, it seemed so obvious to him, how could Omi miss it? "He's team leader, that's all the right he needs. You mean to tell me that Abyssinian couldn't do the same to you if he wanted to?"

"Hell no!!" Omi exclaimed angrily, "Aya-kun can not and will not control *my* life! I'm able to make my own decisions and he knows it! They *all* do!"

The vehemence in Omi's words surprised them both, but in all honesty, the young archer was angry at Schwarz and not Weiss at that moment. The more he got to know the telekinetic, the more he liked, respected, and came to care for him. It didn't matter to Omi that the other boy was two years younger than he was, Nagi was far more mature than most people their age were and it infuriated him to think that his teammates treated him like an irresponsible child. 

As he continued to fume over the issue, Omi's angry thoughts were interrupted by the tiny smile that tried to escape Nagi's control when he said quietly, "I'm glad for you. It must be nice that they care for you enough to give you that kind of freedom." With a small, wistful sigh, he added, "It must really be great to be trusted like that."

"It is," the older boy found himself agreeing and calming down even as the waitress dropped off a plastic carry-out dish for Nagi's noodles, something Omi had insisted the smaller boy was taking with him so he'd have something to eat later if he wanted it. 

Even as Omi scraped the leftovers into the container for him, a process that seemed to please Nagi who was unused to someone being so overtly concerned about his welfare, the archer commented, "Well, I wanted to thank you again for all the help on that project earlier. It was a lot more fun hanging out with you here than it would've been being stuck at the library this whole time."

Nagi's battle with his attempt to remain emotionless was undermined again as he failed to hide a small blush at the words of praise, yet another thing he was unaccustomed to receiving. "You're very welcome, Omi. Actually, it was kind of fun looking all of that up for you. Maybe I can help that way again some time?" Before he lost his nerve, he added shyly, "Would you like to meet me at the library again tomorrow after school?"

Omi glanced up from where he was snapping the lid onto the plastic dish and smiled brightly, nodding agreement before pausing and frowning slightly. 

Before Nagi could become discouraged, Omi responded thoughtfully, "I'd like to get together after school tomorrow, yes, but not at the library, okay? I mean, I've never gone there before and to suddenly go there three days in a row will make the guys a little too curious. Not like they'd ever tell me not to do it, but when Yohji-kun becomes curious about something, sooner or later he finds out all the details and he might not be too thrilled with just who exactly I'm spending my time with these days." Realizing how awful that sounded, he hurried to add, "I mean, I'm not sorry to be with you, but he'd only think of you as 'Schwarz' and that could get ugly before I got a chance to explain you're so much more than that, you know?"

A warm glow grew in Nagi's chest as Omi continued to smile at him, the younger assassin never taking it the wrong way in the least. "Yes, I know what you mean. I think anyone from my side would just pull out a weapon and kill us both. Now *that* would make a scene, wouldn't it?"

Snorting softly at the image of the oh-so-proper Crawford in his impeccable white designer suit entering the Tokyo public library, taking out a handgun, and killing two apparently innocent teenagers in full view, Omi just shook his head. "Good thing we're both smarter than they are, ne?"

"Definitely!" Nagi agreed firmly, then suggested, "Why don't we meet at that park where they have the New Years Festival every year?"

"The one with the all the ducks roaming around in it?" Omi stifled a giggle as he recalled an afternoon when he'd helped Ken take some of the neighborhood kids there after a soccer game and they were practically attacked by the little feathered creatures when some tiny rice crackers were spilled on the ground.

"Sure, why not?" Nagi shrugged, trying to hide how happy this prospect made him and failing.

"Hmm," Omi frowned and then mentioned cautiously, "well, it sounds like a great idea to me, Nagi-kun, but what about what we decided yesterday about the library being neutral territory? Don't we need to think about that issue, too?"

Crestfallen, Nagi nodded and looked down at the table, lost in thought for a moment before he offered, "It seems to me that an area like that is too public for Crawford just like the library is. As for Schu and Farfie, well, I think all the little kids would keep both of them away, so why not extend that designation to the park, too? Make it 'neutral territory' for the two of us?"

The 1000-watt smile returned to the genki youth's face and Omi nodded. "Perfect! I'm sure that no one from Weiss will be there since they've got to run the shop without me, so let's meet at the park, then? Right after school again, okay?" 

Nodding and rising to put his jacket on before heading to the subway, Nagi answered, "That'll be nice. And the concert hall with the gaijin will be in the other direction so no traffic hassles for you, too!"

The slightly taller boy snickered softly, "So true! America can keep its boy bands in the future, I'd rather listen to electronica! Oh well, time to get going." He pulled on his own jacket, pushed the container of noodles and broth towards Nagi with a smile, and then grabbed the backpack that contained the materials he'd need to finish his project on the Aswan High Dam later in the evening. 

As Omi struggled to get the heavy thing onto his shoulders, one strap slipped and it threatened to fall. 

"Damn it!" Omi exclaimed, fingers grabbing at the offending strap only to discover that instead of crashing to the floor the backpack was floating a few centimeters above his back as if patiently giving him a second chance to get it in place correctly. "What the?" he demanded in confusion, forgetting that his companion's unique abilities were the most likely explanation until he glanced at Nagi and saw the amused non-expression there as well as the slight shadowing of midnight blue eyes, indicating he was using his powers.

"Try again," the dark-haired boy urged quietly. "No one's noticed yet, but I shouldn't keep this up for long."

"Right," Omi answered gratefully, pulling the backpack firmly in place and feeling the weight of it settle against him even as the other boy's eyes lightened once more as the telekinesis faded away. The cerulean-eyed boy leaned close and whispered, "that is *so* cool, nagi-kun! thank you!"

Pale cheeks flushed pink as the words of praise sent shivers of happiness through Nagi and he simply nodded, unwilling to trust his voice to respond to the kindness or the sensation of warmth where Omi's breath gently tickled his neck. 

Fighting an almost overwhelming desire to drop the smallest of kisses onto the now rose-touched skin near his lips, Omi, too, began to blush and he straightened quickly. "Well, um, er, time to head back to the parking deck for my bike."

"Uh, um, yeah. I need to go catch the subway, too," Nagi said, usually nimble fingers fumbling with the buttons on his jacket due to the atypical euphoria he felt. 

Without thinking about it, Omi reached out and helped the other boy by adjusting the placket of buttons that Nagi had gotten entirely mixed up, buttoning two of the buttons as Nagi got the others and blushing even more. The older teen decided that he might not have gotten a second full smile from the younger boy, but the attractive blush on Nagi's cheeks more than made up for it at that point.

"I'll see you at the park tomorrow, okay, Nagi-kun?" Omi asked, smiling since he just couldn't stop at that point.

"Certainly," Nagi responded, realizing that his face was red and for once not caring to try to deny it. He picked up the carry-out container and held it close as they walked out the door, truly happy and almost relaxed as he walked in one direction even as Omi went in another.

Inside the noodle shop, the waitress was watching out the window and she sighed wistfully, "I wonder if those two have any idea how cute they are together? I'm just glad they got past whatever it was they were both so upset about earlier! Oh well, I hope it all works out for them sooner or later."

Turning away from thoughts about the two handsome boys' troubles, the young woman went back to clearing the table they'd been at and smiled at the adorable little origami flower that Omi had left for her made from a sheet of notepaper. "Too cute by far!" she smiled.

*****

To be continued.

[Posting Run Dedication] It is a distinct pleasure to be able to dedicate tonight's bonus-sized posting run to my dear friend Yanagi-sen who just happens to consider Halloween her favorite holiday! How serendipitous, ne, my willowy friend? {beams and explains more fully why this one's for her since the llama had no idea she loved October 31 until tonight!} Long ago and far away, I promised her a nice angsty glimpse at one of the infinite versions of Nagi's past as I envisioned it in the context of a larger story and I finally got a chance to do so here. She offered another more detailed and decidedly delicious version in her recent work "Fading Away" which will hopefully be available someday for your reading pleasure at her wonderful website located at: 

Please be advised: Parts 5 - 7 will be posted together.

Originally posted: 31 October 2002 ~2:53am EST

Revised chapter posted: 12 March 2003 ~7:00pm EST


	8. Two Very Different Homecomings ::rev::

[original intro-note from 06 November 2002]

Greetings!

Welcome once again to the Angst Theatre's debut performance of "Neutral Territory" wherein you will *finally* get a chance to meet the other bishounen of Schwarz!

{ducks and lets certain folks go crazy who've been eagerly awaiting this part of the story, then reappears with a golden diadem on his head plus a little cape on his back as he bounces around like a bakasaru while lighting the marquee and then reading the playbill}

This evening's performance opens with Omi arriving home at the Koneko and encountering someone who really needs to figure out what he wants in life since he's just making himself miserable at this rate. After this brief Weiss interlude, we turn our attention to the men of Schwarz and Nagi's homecoming is far less positive. Someone there seems--emphasis on the word "seems"--to live simply for the pleasure of annoying him, but when a certain American arrives to settle things, it becomes apparent Omi is already having an unknown effect on Nagi who admits to Crawford that he wants something. A few hours later, the quiet evening at home for Schwarz is disrupted by a vision which causes the precognitive to reach out for help from the telepath. What is their relationship *really* like and why do they never call each other "Brad" or "Schu" in public? The mysteries are just starting to rise to the surface!

{beams delightedly and has been wanting to share the bedroom scene in chapter 9 for over a year, so he's understandably excited to get it out now! hurray for the dear friends who encouraged the llama to share this!}

Speaking of friends, please allow me to thank those who support my muses and me with words of encouragement and guidance in the form of mentioning what aspects of the story they liked best so more of the same could be incorporated into it! Tons of appreciation go to the following folks who sent uplifting words either privately or on-list at one of the MLs receiving this: Kaze, Wataruo, Yanagi-sen (who did indeed enjoy her Halloween dedication! yay!), Heather, Rubious, Ryoko, and a new friend whose email is "jbarker7"! Oodles of thanks go to the reviewers here at fanfiction.net who sent comments recently and that includes: Priscilla (see the end notes for more on her!), Carter Tachikawa, Christina, and newtypeshadow! 

{throws Pocky bouquets in the air, then adds one last thing before turning you lose on the angst}

Before I cause any number of people to either love me or hate due to the way Schwarz is portrayed here, kindly indulge a moment of "what is to come" stuff. Due to the fact that the residents of the Casa de Llama are all heading out to Neko-Con this Friday for the long weekend {shouts delightedly, the llama really *needs* some serious downtime!}, there isn't as much time for writing or editing this week as usual. However, I'd very much like to offer chapters 10 & 11 of this story before we go since it has tons more sweetness involving our blue-eyed teens and their slowly evolving friendship. If at all possible, these will be at the usual haunts soon, but if not, look for them sometime after Veteran's Day/Remembrance Day, all right?

{bows gratefully to all the kind readers who support this story as well as his other "Weiss Kreuz" efforts, then bids you to--}

Enjoy the Angst! *And* the Deliberate Misdirection!

~~~Enigma~~~

(whose eldest daughter had a lovely Sweet 16 birthday recently and thanks to a wonderful suggestion from Heather, it was even better than it would've been! Amanda sends her thanks to all those who wished her well and she was really delighted to have so many people even thinking of her at all!)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

****

Title: Neutral Territory [part 8/?]

Author: Enigma

Written: begun October, 2001 

Rating: R 

Pairings: (Omi + Nagi) (Yohji + Ken) (Brad + Schu) 

Category: Shonen ai/Yaoi Angst Friendship Romance Action Violence. AU-OOC. Giftfic.

Archive: fanfiction.net & mediaminer.org [author: "E-sama the Llama"] plus Wuffie.net [author: "Enigma"]

Warnings: shonen ai/yaoi, angst, masculine friendship in many forms, various levels of romance, action, coarse language, whiffs of citrus but nothing detailed, possibly graphic violence, bloodshed, tiny bits of humor, fluff, and sap; more warnings will be added as necessary. AU-OOC. Giftfic for Rubious.

Spoilers: Aya's sister's condition and a few other small things, nothing major.

Disclaimer: "Weiss Kreuz" is the property of Koyasu Takehito and Project Weiss. All original characters featured herein (including but not limited to: Glocksten, Charon, etc.) are © Enigma, 2003, and are not to be used without permission. This unauthorized work of fanfiction is intended for entertainment only; kindly do not sue me.

Notes: Omi's first trip to the public library results in an unexpected meeting when Nagi saves his life without being aware of the Weiss archer's identity. Can two lonely teens overcome the limits of their dark purpose in life to find friendship and possibly love in the midst of "neutral territory"? 

//thoughts// 

{{mental speech}}

*****

Tuesday evening through midnight. The flower shop's kitchen and then Omi's bedroom.

*****

Arriving at the back of the already closed flower shop, Omi was relieved to discover Yohji's car was missing and he guessed correctly that the two lovers had gone out for the evening. Stepping into the kitchen, he saw Aya sitting at the table, reading a book and waiting on something or other that was cooking on the stove.

"Good evening, Aya-kun," the blue-eyed teen greeted pleasantly, dropping the weighty backpack onto a chair before pouring a glass of milk for himself.

The redhead glanced up at him with slightly narrowed violet eyes and nodded in response before asking, "How did it go?"

Omi choked on his milk, thinking Aya meant what his own brain had labeled a "date" with the mysterious young Schwarz member who had filled his thoughts throughout the ride back from downtown. Spluttering a bit, and wiping milk from his lips with the back of his hand, he asked, "Uh, what do you mean, Aya-kun?"

If the older man hadn't been suspicious before, he certainly was now. The slender swordsman rose fluidly and moved to stir the bubbling pot before he cast an appraising glance at his young friend and said, "The library, Omi. I wondered if you got everything you needed to complete that geography assignment. It *is* due tomorrow, isn't it?"

Wishing he could hide his embarrassment, Omi simply nodded and drank his milk, hoping that whatever Aya was cooking might suddenly start to boil too fast or something so he could make a quick getaway. The powers that be weren't on his side at the time, however, and the taller assassin gazed at him again before saying simply, "Good. We need more information on Glocksten and Charon, but school's important, too. Wash up for dinner, it's almost ready."

Omi breathed a sigh of relief, then shook his head, "No thanks! I already ate."

Aya frowned, the slight anger on his elegant visage making him seem somewhat menacing as he asked, "Are you sure? I made enough for both of us."

"I'm sorry, Aya-kun," Omi explained apologetically, "but I ate before I came home. I was just too hungry to wait. Um, I need to get my schoolwork done now though, okay? Maybe I'll eat some later for a snack."

"All right," Aya answered, the anger in his gaze replaced by disappointment for only a fraction of a second before he turned away from Omi to hide his reaction, functionally dismissing him while focusing on stirring the food so it wouldn't burn. 

"Um, I'll study for awhile and check on the computer searches later, okay?" Omi asked, wondering for a moment if he should sit and keep the other man company after Aya had gone to the trouble of cooking for him the way that he had.

Determined to act as if it truly didn't matter that Omi didn't want to join him, Aya moved to pluck his book back up from the table, grunting softly in acknowledgement before ignoring the younger man entirely. Once again he felt the sting of alienation he himself insisted on so as to protect those he had come to treasure from future suffering. Eyes like chips of amethyst looked unseeingly at the page before him and deep inside, a voice that once laughed while enjoying a festival sobbed softly yet went unacknowledged. 

Unaware of his teammate's inner struggles, Omi just picked up the heavy backpack once more then made his way up the stairs and off to his room where he flopped on the bed before taking a moment to gather his thoughts.

//I wonder if Nagi made it home okay?//

Even though he was alone, Omi stifled the desire to giggle aloud at the very idea that the petite telekinetic might have trouble with something as harmless as traveling on public transportation in one of the safest countries in the world.

//He's an assassin, Tsukiyono, duh!! Of *course* he made it home safe and sound. It's a shame to think there isn't anyone there who cares about him the way that even Aya cares about me here. I hope Aya's not too angry that I didn't want whatever it was he'd cooked for dinner, but I'm sure it couldn't have been half as good as the noodles Nagi and I had, they were really great! Or was it just that I was eating them with him? Oh well, it doesn't matter, it was a terrific afternoon.//

A sigh left his lips as Omi sat up and began digging out the materials needed to finish the project on the Aswan High Dam. 

Shifting through the copies Nagi had made for him, he smiled a little, daydreaming about midnight blue eyes, hair the color of a bar of imported dark chocolate, and skin that looked softer than silk. The last thought triggered another one as he pondered what it might be like to caress that skin directly, not just through the other boy's clothes the way he had when he'd touched Nagi's shoulder at the library. Granted, he'd wrapped his hands around the younger assassin's when they had trembled on the tabletop at the noodle shop, but he was thinking of pale shoulders and attractive, boyish cheeks, not just delicate though careworn fingers. 

His mind occupied with such sweet thoughts, Omi never noticed the time slipping away as he finished his schoolwork.

Sometime after midnight, the distracted youth would finally remember to check on the computer searches for the mission Kritiker had assigned Weiss, but he would discover that there was nothing of significance accomplished just yet. He would make his way to bed without encountering any of his teammates and he'd fall into a pleasant dream of himself and the boy who filled his thoughts except that in the dream, Nagi would smile openly for him and perhaps even laugh at his jokes. 

If he'd stopped to think about it, Omi might've been frightened by the fact that he was falling in love with an enemy agent so very easily, he might even have wondered if there was a chance that this was all a trick designed by the mind-warping German psychic. Luckily, it never even occurred to him and he continued to live in his rose-colored world, a place where he felt confident that he could separate the two opposing sides of his life no matter how impossible the task might've seemed otherwise.

*****

Tuesday evening. The kitchen of the Schwarz penthouse.

*****

While Omi was arriving home to find a welcoming, home-cooked meal waiting for him prepared by the taciturn leader of Weiss, Nagi was regretting the fact that he'd allowed his new friend to talk him into bringing home the leftover soba. The predictable confrontation that was to come because of the noodles, however, was not necessarily what it appeared to be on the surface primarily due to the fact that both participants weren't exactly who they seemed to be in the first place.

"So, Nagikins, what have we here?" [1] Schuldich asked, snatching the plastic container from the boy's hands and opening it to sniff at its contents before frowning at the distinct scent of too much spice for his tastes. So much for stealing the little one's snack for himself later.

"It's just soba, Schu, leave it alone," Nagi frowned openly at the man and took the container away, slipping the lid back into place and shoving it into the refrigerator, wishing the German would find someone else to harass for a change.

{{Now, why would I want to do that, chibi?}} The red-haired man smirked as he felt Nagi's mental shields slam into place even more firmly, locking him out of even the most surface of thoughts where such things as simple acknowledgement of being too hot or too cold might slide past.

"Stay out of my mind, asshole," the telekinetic growled angrily, shooting a midnight glare at smirking emerald eyes. 

While Nagi put a great deal of effort into remaining as emotionless as possible when away from his own team, the façade simply wasn't worth it when he returned to the spacious penthouse apartment that Schwarz used as both living quarters and base of operations. Crawford had been able to read him like a book ever since he rescued him from the streets and Schuldich was almost as good at it, too, simply due to the length of time spent together in close proximity. Farfarello's ability to understand what the others thought or felt oscillated from non-existent to superior to even Crawford's, yet he usually didn't get involved. 

Schuldich cocked his head and then asked in an insinuating tone, "Dining out two nights in a row isn't your usual preference, Nagikins. What are you up to, hmm?" 

"What do *you* care?" The Japanese teen spat, suddenly nervous that despite his mental shields, perhaps something about Omi had slipped past his guard and had given the telepath a hint as to the reason he'd skipped eating his usual tedious microwave meals. 

"I *don't* care, not really." The older assassin lied and shrugged elegantly yet continued to watch Nagi's reactions as he pressed for more information, "However, I feel more than a little suspicious when you change your ways so suddenly. Perhaps you've found someone to amuse yourself with other than all your invisible little cybernetic friends?"

Nagi gasped in anger and burst out, "Leave my online life out of this, you bastard! What makes you think you can even comment on how I spend my time when all you ever do is try to make me miserable?!" His fists were clenched in anger and the dishes sitting in the sink rattled a bit as his power began to express itself unconsciously. 

The pair of them had had this argument any number of times. Schuldich would deliberately bait Nagi into fights like this since it amused him, but at times like this he went too far and would come to regret his actions shortly.

"That will be *enough*!" Crawford's deep voice interrupted the building rage Nagi was feeling and the dishes quieted immediately as the much younger psychic turned midnight blue eyes towards his leader in a pleading gaze that was ignored. His glasses reflected the light in the kitchen with an angry flash as he asked, "Can't you two be in the same room and *not* argue? What's the problem this time, anyway?"

Schuldich shrugged his shoulders lazily and regarded the man who was both leader and lover to him while saying, "Little Nagikins here seems to be hiding something from us, Crawford. I felt it was in the best interests of the team to find out what it was."

"That's not true!" Nagi growled angrily. "All you wanted to do was give me grief for daring to have a life beyond what you feel like letting me have, Schuldich! If I want to eat out, I can, and it's none of your damned business!"

Crawford reached up to rub at the bridge of his nose in annoyance. Sometimes he felt like he was the only adult in the group and at others he wondered why he even bothered to try to maintain the peace between the two bickering teammates. Opening a channel to the telepath alone, he asked simply, {{Schuldich? Do you have a legitimate concern or is this just your usual harassment of the boy?}}

The German sent back, {{I'm not quite sure, but it *is* highly suspicious that he'd deviate from his usual patterns. The kid is as rigid at times as you are, Crawford.}}

A mental snort of annoyance accompanied the response, {{Don't bother to try to get your way by complimenting me, idiot. All right, I'll handle it.}}

Aloud, the American asked pointblank, "Are you doing anything that endangers Schwarz, Prodigy?" Mahogany-colored eyes stared at the small psychic, seeming to be able to look into his soul far more easily than Schuldich ever could.

Nagi could never bring himself to lie to the man who had saved his life regarding anything as critical as this, yet he felt that as long as he and Omi maintained the separation of their personal and professional lives, he could honestly answer, "No, Crawford. I am *not* doing anything that puts the team at risk. Despite what *some* people might think," he glared at Schuldich, "I *am* capable of making rational decisions about how I spend my time!" 

"Now just one damned minute, Naoe!" The redhead flared angrily, "I never said that, what I said was--"

The precognitive interrupted again angrily and snarled, "What you said doesn't matter, Schuldich! If Nagi says he isn't doing anything to interfere with the group, you've got no grounds on which to continue to harass him! Shut up and leave him alone or else!" He glared at both of them as if daring either to say anything else that might give him cause to need to exert his authority in a more direct and unpleasant manner.

Flashing jade-green eyes regarded Crawford before Schuldich backed off from the confrontation with a dismissive gesture and a toss of his head that sent flame red hair skittering over one shoulder. "Fine, fine, spoil the brat! See if I care!" 

Turning on his heel, the telepath stalked from the kitchen in search of his other favorite person to annoy, wondering if Farfarello had discovered yet that the episodes of "Iron Chef" the Irishman had recorded the weekend before had been copied over with "Oprah" not quite by accident. 

Nagi looked vindicated as he nodded to the man who stood before him, arms crossed over his muscular chest and regarding him carefully. Trying to sound nonchalant, the sable-haired teen commented off-handedly, "Unless you need me for something else, Crawford, I've got homework to do."

"No, I don't need anything else just now, Nagi," the American continued to look at him strangely, causing the telekinetic to feel more than a little nervous. "But I'd appreciate it if you'd be more careful. Schuldich may or may not have a valid point about your actions. If he *does*, then I expect you to change whatever it is you're doing so that it doesn't become an issue again, understand?"

"I understand." Nagi answered somewhat chastened, dropping his eyes briefly then finding the inner strength to look the older man straight in the eye and ask quietly, "But why can't I have even a bit of normalcy in my life without being questioned about it? It's not as if it really matters to him whether I eat here or not. I'd just like to be trusted more, that's all."

Inwardly, Crawford felt stung by the remark yet outwardly he gave the impression that he didn't even care, "You are trusted, Nagi, to the extent that *I* feel such faith is justified. Schuldich's opinions are just that, his. Not mine." A chilliness entered his tones as he warned, "However, betray *my* trust and you *will* regret it!"

The threat in Crawford's voice was all too clear and Nagi felt defeated again, dropping his head and nodding before he asked quietly, "May I go now?"

"Certainly," the black-haired man nodded. He then remarked as if it wasn't important even though he knew it was for the boy, "In case you'd like to know, Schuldich and I will be at a meeting when you get out of school tomorrow and probably won't be back until late. Feel free to plan to do whatever you like for dinner and know that you won't be harassed about it."

A shy smile lit the young telekinetic's face as he answered quietly, "Arigatou, Crawford. I'll remember that." 

With an unexpected lightness to his step, Nagi headed to the privacy of his bedroom planning to study for a few hours before turning his attention to the people that the German had referred to earlier, the hours of darkness to be passed in the pleasantly anonymous reaches of cyberspace. 

*****

To be continued.

Author's Notes:

[1] Generally speaking, I avoid the use of dialectic tricks to try to make any of the characters "sound" more like their nationalities unless absolutely necessary. Hence, there's no false accents added to Schuldich or Farfarello's dialogue. Also, I'm making no assumptions as to whether or not Brad and Schu speak English, Japanese, German, or some other language entirely when they communicate privately. What matters is that they understand each other and that's better than quite a few couples can claim.

Please be advised: Parts 8 & 9 will be posted together.

Originally posted: 06 November 2002 ~2:35am EST

Revised chapter posted: 15 March 2003 ~1:35am EST


	9. A Most Surprising Relationship ::rev::

****

Title: Neutral Territory [part 9/?]

Author: Enigma

Written: begun October, 2001 

Rating: R 

Pairings: (Omi + Nagi) (Yohji + Ken) (Brad + Schu) 

Category: Shonen ai/Yaoi Angst Friendship Romance Action Violence. AU-OOC. Giftfic.

Archive: fanfiction.net & mediaminer.org [author: "E-sama the Llama"] plus Wuffie.net [author: "Enigma"]

Warnings: shonen ai/yaoi, angst, masculine friendship in many forms, various levels of romance, action, coarse language, whiffs of citrus but nothing detailed, possibly graphic violence, bloodshed, tiny bits of humor, fluff, and sap; more warnings will be added as necessary. AU-OOC. Giftfic for Rubious.

Spoilers: Aya's sister's condition and a few other small things, nothing major.

Disclaimer: "Weiss Kreuz" is the property of Koyasu Takehito and Project Weiss. All original characters featured herein (including but not limited to: Glocksten, Charon, etc.) are © Enigma, 2003, and are not to be used without permission. This unauthorized work of fanfiction is intended for entertainment only; kindly do not sue me.

Notes: Omi's first trip to the public library results in an unexpected meeting when Nagi saves his life without being aware of the Weiss archer's identity. Can two lonely teens overcome the limits of their dark purpose in life to find friendship and possibly love in the midst of "neutral territory"? 

//thoughts// 

{{mental speech}}

*****

Tuesday night. Various locations in the Schwarz penthouse.

*****

Several hours after the confrontation in the kitchen, the Schwarz penthouse was relatively quiet as four assassins enjoyed a surprisingly normal homelife. 

Even as Nagi lost himself in his online world courtesy of the computer in his bedroom, Crawford had been attempting to finish some documents in his office while Farfarello and Schuldich amused themselves watching television in the living room.

Slipping off his glasses and rubbing at the burgeoning headache that he was confronted with after receiving a baffling and too short vision of the future, Crawford retreated to the master bedroom suite that he shared with his lover and silently asked, {{Schu? Could you do me a favor?}} 

Despite the pain he felt, Crawford was distantly grateful to the private communications system their powers combined with Estet's merciless training had provided the members of Schwarz with. Only a telepath more powerful than Schuldich was could have "overheard" their conversations this way and it was a far more secure method of sharing information than any other. Granted, at this moment, it was the ease with which he could inform his partner that he needed aid which was uppermost in Crawford's mind, but the fact that no one other than the verdant-eyed man could detect his thoughts was quite reassuring, too.

The redhead was discovering to his utter disgust that the episodes of "Oprah" he'd used to sabotage Farfarello's Food Network tape featured a guest appearance by a former FBI agent who had specialized in serial killers. Instead of making the Irishman's evening viewing boring and tedious, Schuldich had actually improved it and the silver-haired assassin was busy laughing, enjoying himself immensely as he watched the audience react in horror to the gruesome tales the detective was telling.

Disappointed and annoyed that his fun had been spoiled by a sweeps week programming trick, Schuldich had been considering going out for a drink when the unexpectedly soft mental voice had called to him. In an equally tender tone, he responded, {{Brad? What's wrong? What do you need?}}

{{Some aspirin, love, please?}} The misery was clear in the American's mental voice as he explained, {{I don't have the energy to search for it if you had to hide it from Farf like you usually do.}}

{{Sure thing, babe.}} Schuldich sent a mental caress as he left the giggling psychopath to enjoy hearing about Jeffery Dahmer for what had to be the millionth time. [1]

It was extremely unusual that Crawford would communicate with Schuldich in such tones if they weren't both behind the closed door of their bedroom and it worried the green-eyed man that the former boxer had done so. 

Despite Schuldich's well deserved reputation for being cruel and heartless, the flame-haired telepath actually had a tender side to him which only one person ever saw and even he usually saw it only under certain highly specific circumstances. The same could be said for Bradley Crawford, a man whose ice-cold nature frightened his employers almost as much as it terrified those he faced in battle. 

The two Estet psychics had faced hardships most people couldn't even imagine and these experiences had hardened them both. During the early years together building what would become Schwarz, they had each seen through the other's mask and had found something unexpected. They'd found someone they could trust with something far more valuable than their lives -- their hearts. 

Yet both knew that such feelings would be viewed as weaknesses by others in their organization and they agreed to limit expressing themselves as lovers in any truly gentle fashion to the privacy of wherever their bedroom was at any given time. This resulted in the bizarre situation that they could go from coldly calculated manipulation of one another in Crawford's office to tender embraces a mere ten feet away just inside the master suite's door, but it worked for them. In many ways, they had successfully explored the concept of "neutral territory" long before the two blue-eyed assassins had instituted similar rules independently. 

Lover to lover, they were "Brad" and "Schu". Leader to subordinate, however, they remained "Crawford" and "Schuldich" and they jealously protected that separation.

Farfarello and Nagi were both curious about the seeming animosity between two men that they knew had been lovers long before either of them had joined the team, but they both knew better than to ask. The assassins of Schwarz comprised a family of a sort and even though the balance within its structure wasn't what most people would see as the best possible choice for stability, it functioned well enough for them.

Carrying a glass of cold water and the requested painkillers, Schuldich slipped into the darkened suite, closed the door quietly, and glanced around before he called softly, "Brad? Where're you at, babe?"

"In here, give me a moment," the elder of the pair responded, voice sounding tired as he washed his face, leaving a cooling layer of water droplets on his skin before walking out clad only in loose-fitting cotton pajama bottoms. He accepted the aspirin bottle with a faint smile, taking three of the white tablets with a shallow swallow of water before stretching out on the king-sized bed with a pained sigh.

The redhead frowned and turned to quickly strip out of his own clothes, leaving on only his silk boxers as he moved to climb into bed beside his lover and then draw a luxurious, down-filled comforter up over them both to give them some extra warmth. 

Admiring the way the American's black eyelashes lay upon his cheek like the soft feathers of some tiny ebon bird of prey, Schuldich smiled sadly and asked unnecessarily, "Another vision, Brad?"

{{Yes. But "talk" to me this way, please. It hurts less.}}

A tiny quirk of Schuldich's lips was evident before he brushed them against those of the man that he loved, even as he responded, {{My pleasure. Not everyone gets to talk to their lover and kiss them at the same time.}}

If he hadn't felt so uncomfortable, the precognitive probably would've reacted more to the non-subtle suggestion that they do more than merely kiss, but for the moment he satisfied himself with simply sending, {{No, I imagine this is indeed a rare arrangement.}}

The telepath broke the kiss gently and snuggled close, sending, {{Then I really *am* a lucky bastard after all, aren't I, baby? Now, about the vision, good news or bad?}}

A short pause indicated that the taller man was considering his response yet when he sent it, there was a note of confusion in it that surprised Schuldich, {{That's a good question, love, but I'm afraid that I don't have an answer. It involved Nagi, but it was so brief that I barely got much past his seeming to be quite upset about something.}}

{{Oh? What could be wrong with our little Nagikins? He seemed fine tonight.}} To anyone outside of this room, it would've been a shock to hear honest concern in Schuldich's words, but to the man who knew him best, it was only slightly surprising.

Crawford felt a warmth flit past his heart as he answered, {{I know, but this felt like an image of the near future, tomorrow perhaps.}} After replaying the vision in his mind's eye, he then amended, {{Wait, there were *some* details that seemed a bit out of place for him. He was outside in the sunshine in a large open area, lots of people, and he was quite agitated about something, almost a fight or flight response, it seemed.}} 

Schuldich looked disturbed by this additional information, {{That's not like *our* Nagi! What on earth was going on?! He hates being in the sunshine. Think there's going to be some kind of problem with his school like those shootings in the States? [2] We can give him a ton of Schwarz paperwork to do to trick him into staying home tomorrow if you like.}} 

The warmth that Crawford had enjoyed a moment prior returned and intensified as he listened to the other man's overprotective suggestion for the youngest member of their household. 

It had taken awhile for Schuldich to understand that the brown-eyed man felt deeply responsible for the telekinetic and that it was a paternal form of affection that the American harbored for the youth and nothing romantic as the jealous German had once feared. The American code named Oracle was many things, but a pedophile was not one of them, despite what some members of Estet bandied about amongst themselves privately.

A soft sigh of pleasure left the precognitive's lips as he opened his eyes once more and looked deeply into jade green ones, making sure that the other man wasn't making a joke out of his concerns. Seeing Schuldich frowning as he sent a light mental probe towards Nagi not seeking anything beyond simple confirmation that the boy was as content as he usually was on a school-night, Crawford smiled outright. 

One long-fingered hand reached up and took gentle hold of Schuldich's chin, turning it so that Crawford could place a tender, appreciative kiss on the smaller man's lips. 

{{The boy's fine, babe,}} the mental confirmation held a touch of laughter as the telepath added, {{but he *really* hates the science class he has. Apparently, the instructor insists on homework every night from him even when Nagi's already getting straight A's in the class.}}

Crawford chuckled as the kiss broke, glad his headache was getting better so quickly. {{Well, that's what he gets for refusing to take it in summer school as I suggested. Live and learn. As for the vision, I really can't say much other than that he was only "upset" and not truly "angry" or "frightened", so perhaps it is beyond our ability to influence it.}}

{{Probably true,}} Schuldich groused unhappily. {{But it's not like you to get a vision that isn't important in one way or another. How *has* Nagi been doing lately? Has he talked to you about anything out of the ordinary?}}

{{He hasn't mentioned anything in particular in awhile, love. Tonight he said something about wanting to be trusted more,}} emerald eyes caught the slight frown on his face as Crawford added, {{but why would he be thinking about that? There've been no changes around here for him to be concerned about to my knowledge.}}

{{I have no idea, babe,}} Schuldich responded, then offered cautiously, {{If you're really worried about him, I could try to "read" him for you, but I've got to warn you that his shields are stronger tonight than normal. It's as if he's trying to hide something. Hmm, now *that's* suspicious if you asked me!}}

Crawford sat up and turned to face the annoyed German even as cool air swept over both their skins as he warned aloud, "Don't do that, Schu. We've got no reason to doubt him and anything that invasive would probably only make matters worse. We'll give Nagi a few days. Maybe you were onto something earlier and he's got a situation at school he's dealing with right now. Maybe a problem with his friends or something?"

Schuldich snorted derisively and responded, "*What* friends, Brad? Nagi's as antisocial as they come at times!" Growling softly, he added vehemently, "Plus, I doubt there's even one kid in that whole stuck-up academy you send him to that even talks to him other than to try to steal his class notes or threaten him!"

Chocolate brown eyes narrowed dangerously as the American answered hotly, "Don't start that whole 'public school is better than private school' argument again, Schu! We've been over that a hundred times."

About to fire off a typical "smart ass Schuldich remark" as Nagi called some of the telepath's favorite comebacks, the redhead paused and then laughed, the surprising sound breaking the tension before he could say, "Oh god, there we go again! We sound like an old married couple at times, don't we, Brad?"

A slow smile broke out on the other man's face as Crawford shook his head and he lay back down on the fluffy pillow beside his lover, letting the comforter fall back into place as he commented drolly, "I'm neither old nor married, I'll have you know." He reached out to draw his bedmate into his arms, hugging him tightly as he added, "But I'm perfectly happy with this aspect of my life just the same, aren't you, love?"

"Definitely!" Schuldich agreed enthusiastically, answering the hug by placing a tender kiss on other man's jaw before dropping back against the pillow with a contented sigh. 

Crawford felt willing to set the concerns about their youngest teammate aside for the moment in favor of more private, and certainly more pleasurable, distractions. In a slightly deeper tone than he used for normal conversation, he asked, "So, what now, love? Were you interested in something other than talking tonight?"

"Yeah, I kinda think so," Schuldich answered and yawned slightly before adding, "I'm in the mood to just snuggle for awhile." 

Unable to resist the urge, the precognitive snorted softly then remarked, "Wouldn't Farf think it was hilarious if he ever found out that Schuldich actually liked to cuddle!" 

Schuldich pretended to hiss angrily, "Tell him, Crawford, and you'll regret it!" 

"Oh, now I'm scared!" Crawford chuckled as he reached to turn off the bedside light and then snuggled closer to his lover.

"You should be!" the German insisted between yawns, "Now, be quiet. We've talked enough for one night." 

Placing a tender kiss to the long-haired man's cheek, Crawford answered in loving tones, "Of course, sweetheart. Goodnight." 

Yawning again and turning onto his side to encourage his tall partner to spoon against him comfortably, Schuldich mumbled something along the lines of wishing Crawford sweet dreams and then drifted off himself.

If asked, neither Farfarello nor Nagi would've considered that these two particular people could possibly share the type of relationship that they did, it was simply too far outside the eldest members' of Schwarz's public personas for anyone to have expected it. Oddly enough, though, it was this very special "bedroom-only love affair" that the pair of psychics had shared for years that gave them the strength they needed to get through their difficult lives. 

It was a strength that they would both need before the week ended and they found their world irrevocably altered by the young man they were both so concerned about following an unhelpful glimpse of the near future. 

*****

To be continued.

Author's Notes:

[1] My apologies to all the Farfarello fans out there who wanted him to have more "screen time" here. He will later, but since this was essentially a "Brad-Schu" scene I'm afraid he got left on the couch watching television, something he apparently likes to do quite a bit in this continuity as you will discover later.

[2] When this was originally written a year ago, the school violence issue was much higher in everyone's awareness than it is now, yet it remains a darkness ever present and thus the reference remains.

[Posting Run Dedication] Tonight's special friend who receives the dedication nod is someone who has given my muses and me more reasons to smile than anyone other than darling Yanagi-sen and my family-plus-kitten, the amazing Priscilla whose reviews at Fanfiction.net are fascinating reading in and of themselves! Throughout the seemingly endless chapters of "Cold November Rain" she was there cheering for our boys and adding interesting personal observations all along the way. The lemony romp "Ken's Dream" which will be a fantasy three-way including Ken, Yohji, and Aya/Ran will debut sooner or later and is the direct result of her comments there. Now, what she might inspire for *this* continuity is anyone's guess, but stayed tuned to find out! It's sure to be something fun! {applauds for the lady who was wed just a few months ago} Thanks again, Priscilla! All my love to you and that wonderful husband of yours!

Originally posted: 06 November 2002 ~2:35am EST

Revised chapter posted: 15 March 2003 ~1:35am EST


	10. A Precognitive's Vision Fulfilled ::rev:

[original intro-note from 15 November 2002]

Greetings!

Welcome back to the Angst Theatre's debut performance of "Neutral Territory" which resumes its temporarily interrupted production schedule so the residents of the Casa de Llama could go terrorize the fine folks at Neko-Con V last weekend.

{smirks since he had a grand time, then yawns a little since he's still in a sleep deficit, and then grabs a stylish black trench coat straight off the back of an adorable shinigami who likes to eat cake but loves to protect his young partner then reads the playbill for everyone}

Our show opens this evening at a high school where a certain blond can't keep his mind on his studies but then quickly transitions to an unnamed public park where yet another rendezvous with a midnight-eyed assassin awaits him. Between sharing ice cream and watching clouds, Omi and Nagi both come to certain realizations which will leave them more likely to express what they truly feel in the long run. What will happen when the telekinetic takes a giant leap of faith and dares to wordlessly ask for something he rarely permits in the first place? On a darker note, what evil lurks among the visitors to the park that day and will its presence effect the blue-eyed teens? 

{beams gently and hopes that the folks who asked for more "Omi/Nagi togetherness" moments will enjoy this posting run}

Before stepping aside to allow the show to begin, instead of my usual list of "thank yous" for support from my beloved readers, please forgive me and allow me to apologize instead. Things here were crazy last week before the trip out of state and I can't seem to get everything going again as easily as usual, so I had to decide between reading and responding to email and getting more out ASAP. After a bit of thought, I decided it was better to share more of this story first and hope to get caught up on email later, so I'll do a double-sized thanks list next time, okay?

{gives you Omi-esque puppy eyes and whimpers a little asking for forgiveness then invites you to…}

Enjoy the Angst and Sweetness Both!

~~~Enigma~~~

(who is so far behind on so many things that he wonders why Melpomene is bombarding him with new angst-laden storylines he doesn't have time to write. {sigh} as if the world *needs* more bishounen torture?!) 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

****

Title: Neutral Territory [part 10/?]

Author: Enigma

Written: begun October, 2001 

Rating: R 

Pairings: (Omi + Nagi) (Yohji + Ken) (Brad + Schu) 

Category: Shonen ai/Yaoi Angst Friendship Romance Action Violence. AU-OOC. Giftfic.

Archive: fanfiction.net & mediaminer.org [author: "E-sama the Llama"] plus Wuffie.net [author: "Enigma"]

Warnings: shonen ai/yaoi, angst, masculine friendship in many forms, various levels of romance, action, coarse language, whiffs of citrus but nothing detailed, possibly graphic violence, bloodshed, tiny bits of humor, fluff, and sap; more warnings will be added as necessary. AU-OOC. Giftfic for Rubious.

Spoilers: Aya's sister's condition and a few other small things, nothing major.

Disclaimer: "Weiss Kreuz" is the property of Koyasu Takehito and Project Weiss. All original characters featured herein (including but not limited to: Glocksten, Charon, etc.) are © Enigma, 2003, and are not to be used without permission. This unauthorized work of fanfiction is intended for entertainment only; kindly do not sue me.

Notes: Omi's first trip to the public library results in an unexpected meeting when Nagi saves his life without being aware of the Weiss archer's identity. Can two lonely teens overcome the limits of their dark purpose in life to find friendship and possibly love in the midst of "neutral territory"? 

//thoughts// 

{{mental speech}}

*****

Wednesday early afternoon. Omi's school.

*****

"Earth to Omi. Come in, Omi," a young girl teased quietly during the Weiss archer's math class on Wednesday afternoon.

Distracted by thoughts of how pleased his geography teacher had been with the project on the Aswan High Dam which had in turn made him think of Nagi, Omi shook himself from his thoughts and then smiled as he replied, "Oh, sorry, Masami-chan. Did I miss something?" [1] His boyish cheeks were lightly painted pink by anticipation, yet he was unaware of the fact that merely thinking of the sable-haired boy that he was to meet at the park that afternoon was having a visible effect on him.

"Yes," the pretty brunette girl giggled before glancing meaningfully at the teacher who was busy organizing the papers he'd just received from his students and explained, "you forgot to turn in your homework. If you hurry, he might not notice."

"Oops! Right! Thanks!" Omi scooped up his papers and had almost reached the teacher's desk when the bell rang indicating that the school day was over. "Excuse me, sensei? Here's mine, too."

The harried teacher glanced at the boy who was his star pupil and smiled, "Ah, Omi, I wondered where yours was." He looked closely at the youth's slightly reddened face and asked, "Are you feeling all right?"

"Nani?" Omi looked at him with a puzzled expression then said pleasantly, "I'm fine, sir. Why?"

"Your cheeks are a little flushed. If it wasn't the end of the day already, I'd recommend you stop by the nurse's office," the teacher smiled then dismissed his student with a nod.

Quickly gathering up his books and heading towards his locker, Omi encountered his classmate again and felt even sillier as he overheard her commenting to another girl, "Mark my words, Natsume, Omi's *finally* found a girlfriend! I'd know that dreamy look in a boy's eyes anywhere!"

The pink-haired girl giggled and pointed at Omi nearly simultaneously with him beginning to choke a little as he tried to interrupt, "Ma-ma-masami-chan!! *What* are you talking about?" The tiny blush from earlier had darkened dramatically across Omi's cheeks and his words failed to disprove the evidence on his face. "I have *not* got a girlfriend! Please, don't start any rumors like that about me!"

The dark-haired girl was trapped between feeling embarrassed for being caught gossiping and feeling vindicated since the expression on Omi's face was simply too obvious for words. Trying to hide her own mixed emotions, Masami placed her fists on her hips and insisted, "Oh, really? Then where are you off to in such a hurry if not to go meet a girl?"

"Uh," Omi blinked and blurted out, "I'm going to the park. I'm meeting a friend there."

"See? What did I tell you?" Masami laughed even as Natsume giggled quietly.

Without thinking it through, Omi whined, "I am *not* meeting a girl!" He regretted it immediately, of course.

"Oh? You're meeting a *boy* then? Interesting!" Natsume insinuated then laughed easily and reassured, "Don't worry, Omi-kun, your secret's safe with us!" 

Mouth gaping open and shut a few times like a fish out of water, the young assassin tried to find something to say to protect his rapidly dwindling ability to cope with the merciless teasing but failed. Even though he could face opponents twice his size and many times over his age in open combat, Omi never stood a chance against the quick-witted girls who attended his school.

Before he could falsely assert that he didn't have any secrets, Masami finally calmed down enough to stop taking advantage of his embarrassment and suggested, "Better get going or he'll be angry that you're late!" 

"Thanks," Omi finally smiled before grabbing his motorcycle helmet and backpack from his locker and leaving as quickly as possible, afraid that the giggling pair would change their minds and start giving him grief again. 

Trying not to look too eager, the dart-wielding assassin fled the building, glad that despite their teasing Masami and Natsume would respect his privacy and not mention the incident to anyone else. Granted, they'd probably corner him the next day and ask a million questions, but Omi shouldn't have been daydreaming about Nagi the way that he had been in the first place. 

As the saying goes, love makes us all a little foolish at times, even when we aren't quite ready to admit that "love" is what we are feeling. 

*****

Wednesday afternoon. A public park.

*****

Across the city in a sprawling public park, Nagi sat alone nervously watching the people and feeling out of place as he watched young mothers playing with their children.

//It's so bright out here, it almost hurts my eyes.//

Midnight blue orbs peered up at the puffy white clouds sailing along like mighty schooners adrift in the azure sky. The telekinetic didn't feel comfortable sitting there in plain sight with nowhere to hide even if he wanted to. It seemed to Nagi that some of the people were staring at him, his seemingly frail form an indictment of some unspecified adult somewhere who should have been taking better care of him.

Chewing at his lower lip nervously, Nagi felt the familiar rush of adrenaline touch his bloodstream and the desire to flee the open area became almost overwhelming as vague memories of pain suffered when he was a street child surfaced in his mind. There were times when he hadn't been able to run and hide from the other homeless waifs who hated him for various reasons and it was the recollection of sorrow from moments such as that which were plaguing him.

//I know I'm overreacting to all of this and if I can just calm down a little, Omi will be here any minute now and I won't feel funny anymore. Er, at least I *hope* that he's here soon, I *really* don't like just sitting on this bench all alone in broad daylight like this.//

This exact moment was what Crawford had foreseen as Nagi's instinctual response to the increased levels of adrenaline in his system grew almost irresistible and it was a blessing for the two new friends that the precognitive's vision didn't include much past this point.

Before the telekinetic could become even more agitated, a cheerful greeting caught his attention, "Nagi-kun!! Hi! I'm over here!"

Nagi quickly turned to see his friend practically running down the paved path towards him, waving happily before flopping down onto the bench beside him with a playful grin. Restraining his desire to throw his arms around the older boy in relief, the telekinetic merely nodded and said quietly, "Hello, Omi. It's nice to see you again."

"Yeah, it's great to see you again, too!" Omi was at genki-maximum, a bright smile pasted on his features as he scanned the park, pleased to see so many families out enjoying the weather. He took a deep breath and let it back out slowly, sighing as he remarked, "It smells so good out here, doesn't it? Fresh air, sunshine, trees, grass, everything! It's great!!"

The young archer's cheerfulness was very nearly overwhelming for the other boy. 

Even as Nagi was trying to phrase a response that would sum up his own uneasiness about feeling exposed and vulnerable, Omi hopped back onto his feet and grabbed him by the hand, urging him to rise and walk with him. By way of explanation the older boy said, "I spotted an ice cream vendor on my way here from the parking lot. Would you like a cone or a sundae, Nagi-kun?"

Nagi was shocked that Omi had taken his hand so casually in a public place, but the moment they were both on their feet, the blond had released his grip and that disappointed the younger assassin much to his own surprise.

Finding it increasingly difficult to remain emotionless, Nagi forced himself to shrug as if it didn't matter that Omi's suggestion sounded perfectly wonderful to him even as he slipped his now lonely-feeling hand into a pocket just to keep from reaching out to recapture the warmth he'd felt so briefly. Human contact had rarely appealed to him at all, yet somehow the touch of the Weiss tactician's hand against his own made him yearn for more of the same. 

With a small nod of his head, the Schwarz member remarked simply, "I like ice cream." When his companion flashed him a day-glo smile, Nagi added inquisitively, "My favorite flavor is chocolate, what's yours?"

Omi grinned even more as he answered confidently, "'Omi's Famous Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Extravaganza'! I make my own at home!" Curious dark blue eyes gazed at him following this pronouncement, so he continued, "Yohji-kun and Ken-kun got me an ice cream maker for my birthday last year. I get that ready-to-bake cookie dough from the store and mix it with half-and-half and whatever other stuff I feel like. It's really messy, but it's good!"

"Sounds awfully rich," Nagi frowned slightly, the concoction Omi was describing sounded more like candy than dessert.

"Oh, it is!" Sunshine-bright hair bounced up and down as Omi nodded vigorously. "Would you like to come over and try it sometime, Nagi-kun? I'd love to make some for you so you can see how good it is."

Nagi's tiny frown deepened substantially as he looked down and away, unwilling to let Omi see how badly the friendly offer bothered him. Taking a breath to help him try to regain his emotionless mask--something the other boy could see through as if it wasn't even there--he said quietly, "I really don't think that's such a good idea, Omi. I rather doubt that the other members of Weiss would welcome me into your home."

For the first time since arriving at the park, the blonde's genki smile faded and Omi frowned, too, momentarily unhappy as the reality of their situation came back to haunt him. "Oh, yeah, you're right. Well, *that* sucks!" He sighed and looked over at Nagi, then forced a small smile back to his lips as he promised what he wasn't sure he could deliver, saying, "That's all right, Nagi-kun. We'll work something out sooner or later, you'll see. But right now, let's get some ice cream cones, okay?"

Midnight blue eyes glanced up and Nagi failed to suppress the relief that shone there as the subject was neatly changed by the presence of a sidewalk vendor. 

Omi reached into the back pocket of his jeans for his wallet and unexpectedly came across a few slips of paper he'd meant to sort through before leaving the flower shop for school that morning. Glancing at them distractedly, he tucked them in the pocket of his jacket instead and then asked courteously, "Why don't you get your cone first, Nagi-kun? It'll give me an extra minute to decide what flavor to get since they certainly won't have my favorite."

"All right," Nagi shrugged and ordered plain chocolate ice cream, patiently watching as Omi peered at the list of flavors available. When he was handed the heavy cone, the telekinetic almost groaned, certain he'd never be able to eat all of it, but the urge was smothered by a conflicting desire to laugh at his companion.

With what Nagi had secretly labeled an adorable pout, Omi looked at the vendor and asked unhappily, "Do you *really* only have chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry? Nothing more exotic like chocolate chip cookie dough or butter brickle?" 

The apron-clad college student shook his head apologetically and replied, "I'm afraid that's all I have left. If you'd been here earlier, I had cappuccino and mint chip, but they sold out. Sorry."

"Oh well, that's okay," Omi smiled generously then caught Nagi's eye and winked in a manner reminiscent of Yohji when he was teasing his own chosen love as he said, "I'll have what he's having, then!"

Nagi utterly failed to hide the small giggle that snuck up on him, but it was lost as the ice cream vendor laughed and hurried to provide the requested snack, making Omi's cone even larger than Nagi's in an effort to make up for the lack of variety. 

Pulling a few bills out of his wallet, Omi paid the man and then the two young assassins walked away with their cold treats.

Licking at the ice cream that seemed in a hurry to melt and drip all over his hand, Nagi asked, "Now what? I've only been here a couple of times before and that was always at night. What do you like to do here at the park, Omi?"

"Hmm," Omi thought for a moment as he munched on his own ice cream cone then brightened, "I like to go down to the lake and watch the little kids feed the ducks! As long as we're not eating popcorn or anything the birds will want, its nice to just sit on the grass and watch the people." 

"'Sit on the grass'?" Nagi echoed, disbelief in every word. "Um, doesn't that get messy?"

Omi snickered softly and shrugged, "I guess it could, but I never thought about it much. Um, don't *you* ever just sit on the grass, Nagi-kun? Or, better yet, lay on the grass and watch the clouds go by?"

"No, not really," Nagi glanced down at his school uniform and wondered briefly what kind of punishment Crawford might mete out if he got grass stains on the expensive garments. Then he looked back into eyes so blue they put the sky to shame and he allowed a tiny, shy smile to peek out as he added, "But I'd like to give it a try, Omi, if that's what you want to do."

Warmth spread through Omi's heart as he gazed back at entrancing eyes that looked like a pair of glittering sapphires in the afternoon sunshine. Before he could get lost in their depths, though, realization hit him as to his companion's problem with sitting on the grass and he offered, "That sounds good to me! You can sit on my jacket if you like, that should keep those gray slacks of yours from picking up any unwanted 'green trim', if you know what I mean!" 

A humorous version of one of Ken's "knowing winks" was added and they both relaxed even as Omi pointed to a spot at the edge of a cluster of trees where they'd have an excellent view of the peaceful activity around the lake. 

Handing Nagi his ice cream for a moment, Omi slipped off his jacket and spread it on the ground gallantly then bowed, saying, "For you, good sir. Best seat in the house!" Straightening up with a slight blush, he added, "Oh, and I don't know about you, but that is *way* too much ice cream for me to eat!"

Nagi looked at the two half-eaten cones in his hands and sighed before answering, "I'd have to agree with you. I think there was enough on mine for both of us."

"True," Omi commented thoughtfully. Smiling shyly, he wondered aloud, "So next time, do you think we should just get one and share it?"

The resulting flush on the younger boy's cheeks happened so quickly, Nagi had no chance to either hide or deny it. Wishing he could duck out of sight instead of being embarrassed so publicly, he forced himself to answer but the words surprised both of them, "I don't see why not, Omi. Um, er, well," he stammered as he realized how forward that sounded and added somewhat coolly, "it's better than wasting so much, you know."

Wide cerulean eyes were blinking kittenishly in surprise as Omi simply nodded and watched as Nagi quickly walked to a trashcan and discarded the unwanted ice cream before coming back to sit carefully on the youngest member of Weiss's jacket. It never even occurred to the Schwarz assassin to worry if there were any poison-filled darts or other hazards hiding in the denim since it wasn't the usual dark leather one the archer wore on missions. 

Gazing up at the older boy who was looking at him with a sweet, slightly wistful expression on his face, Nagi allowed the tiny smile to return as he asked, "Care to join me, Omi? You *did* say it was best to sit on the ground, not just stand on it."

"Huh? Oh, right!" Grinning at his own temporary lapse, Omi dropped down to sprawl comfortably on the ground beside the other boy. For a moment he tried to think of something more to say, but upon realizing that Nagi was lost in thoughts of his own, he contented himself with watching the children feeding the waterfowl. 

Omi's observations of human-duck interactions, however, were interrupted in favor of stealing glances at a certain dark-haired telekinetic, a boy who was doing much the same himself and the time slipped away in pleasant, companionable peace.

*****

To be continued.

Author's Notes:

[1] Omi's classmates in this chapter are actually characters from a wonderful though little known Sci-Fi/Fantasy anime entitled "Generator Gawl". The thirteen episode series is a mixed bag of battles, philosophy, time travel paradox, slapstick, romance, pseudo-science, and more weirdness than even I have words for. There's also a character in it that could easily be Omi's future twin, a blue-eyed blond bishounen named Ryo who carries the weight of the world on his shoulders yet smiles a genki smile and does all he can to save humanity in spite of it. The overt shonen ai undercurrents are so thick you couldn't cut them with Abyssinian's katana and it's simply wonderful.

Please be advised: Parts 10 & 11 will be posted together.

Originally posted: 15 November 2002 ~2:05am EST

Revised chapter posted: 15 March 2003 ~1:35am EST


	11. Cloud Gazing Together ::rev::

****

Title: Neutral Territory [part 11/?]

Author: Enigma

Written: begun October, 2001 

Rating: R 

Pairings: (Omi + Nagi) (Yohji + Ken) (Brad + Schu) 

Category: Shonen ai/Yaoi Angst Friendship Romance Action Violence. AU-OOC. Giftfic.

Archive: fanfiction.net & mediaminer.org [author: "E-sama the Llama"] plus Wuffie.net [author: "Enigma"]

Warnings: shonen ai/yaoi, angst, masculine friendship in many forms, various levels of romance, action, coarse language, whiffs of citrus but nothing detailed, possibly graphic violence, bloodshed, tiny bits of humor, fluff, and sap; more warnings will be added as necessary. AU-OOC. Giftfic for Rubious.

Spoilers: Aya's sister's condition and a few other small things, nothing major.

Disclaimer: "Weiss Kreuz" is the property of Koyasu Takehito and Project Weiss. All original characters featured herein (including but not limited to: Glocksten, Charon, etc.) are © Enigma, 2003, and are not to be used without permission. This unauthorized work of fanfiction is intended for entertainment only; kindly do not sue me.

Notes: Omi's first trip to the public library results in an unexpected meeting when Nagi saves his life without being aware of the Weiss archer's identity. Can two lonely teens overcome the limits of their dark purpose in life to find friendship and possibly love in the midst of "neutral territory"? 

//thoughts// 

{{mental speech}}

*****

Wednesday late afternoon. A public park.

*****

After over an hour of lounging on the grass by the lake, Omi and Nagi had ended up laying on their backs side by side while watching picturesque cottony clouds parading across the azure vault of the sky.

"That one looks like a pirate ship," Omi offered, pointing at one cloud in particular and then waving a finger as he explained, "See? There's the main mast, and some sails, and if you look really closely, there's even a flag waving over the crow's nest!"

Nagi turned his head on its cozy spot on the now sun-warmed denim jacket and asked skeptically, "Oh really?" With a playful yet restrained smile, he teased gently, "You see all of that in a simple cloud, Weiss? You have an overactive imagination."

Omi chuckled and turned to face Nagi, the brilliant smile that refused to fade still shining brightly even as he defended himself, "It's all there, Schwarz! Open those big blue eyes of yours and take a look!"

Without being aware of it, Nagi's voice softened and deepened ever so slightly as he answered without looking at the sky at all, "My eyes *are* open, Weiss." 

Somehow, the sable-haired boy's mind barely stopped the following thought about how he liked what he saw from being spoken aloud, and he almost glanced away before Omi replied equally tenderly, "I know, Schwarz. I know." 

Barely able to keep from vocalizing similar admiring thoughts, Omi tried to distract himself by reaching up to brush fluffy blond bangs out of his eyes before inadvertently dropping his hand on top of Nagi's when he allowed it to fall back to the ground between their bodies. Omi would have pulled his hand away as soon as he realized his mistake, but the moment contact had been made, the smaller boy had intertwined their fingers firmly and held them together, silently asking him to not break them apart. 

Surprised, Omi turned his head to gaze at Nagi, wondering if he was misinterpreting the situation, but the other boy had closed his eyes out of fear of being rejected, a worry that shone through the now useless attempt to hide deeper feelings. 

Pleased and reassured, the older teen sighed happily and relaxed, satisfied to be allowed to maintain the unexpected physical contact with the boy his mind could barely remember to label as "enemy" in any way, shape, or form. Sadly, Omi failed to notice the presence of someone who deserved that particular title and worse in the park at the same time that he was daydreaming about Nagi. 

Gliding through the crowds of young mothers and their children with a friendly and totally false smile on his face, an attractive man with long, golden brown hair exchanged pleasantries with whoever he found to be of interest. Occasionally, Glocksten would pause and his hazel eyes would gaze upon the gathered youth of Tokyo with an almost wolf-like expression in their unfeeling depths as he sized up his prey, innocent children playing around him like gentle lambs in a field. 

Discovering a particularly lovely young boy with huge violet-hued eyes which were filled with tears since he'd strayed from his mother's side and couldn't find her once more, the malevolent beast chose a plaything for his latest client, a sick and twisted physician who enjoyed causing pain. From the depths of a pocket of his expensive designer trench coat, Glocksten withdrew a bag of crackers for feeding the ducks and acted as if he had been enjoying that pastime before crouching by the child and offering his assistance in leading the boy back to safety. 

Peering up at him with luminous eyes, the child agreed and placed his hand all too trustingly into that of the man with the strange onyx earrings. With his usual sense of victory, Glocksten escorted the boy away from the lake, away from his mother, and away from life since the child's battered and abused body would be found floating in Tokyo Bay within 72 hours. 

The Weiss assassin code named Bombay could have identified the detestable criminal at a glance if he'd seen the German, yet he hadn't. It was an ironic blessing that by the time the facts of the case came to light, Omi would be in no condition whatsoever to suffer the pangs of guilt he would have experienced had he known he'd missed an opportunity to stop a killer in his tracks that day. On the rarest of occasions, fate allowed a tortured soul such as his own to find a bit of happiness in an otherwise dark and painful existence and simply spending time with the youngest member of Schwarz the way that he was had been destiny's gift to him. 

*****

Wednesday late afternoon. A public park.

*****

As time passed much too quickly, Omi finally got the nerve to glance at Nagi's face again and was amazed to see that the usually guarded telekinetic was so happy as they discreetly held hands together that he was openly smiling as he gazed at the sky.

Turning his head and locking gazes with his companion, Nagi asked quietly, "What are you thinking about, Omi?"

Omi almost blurted out that he was starting to consider the endearing psychic much more than a friend, but he bit that back and said instead, "I was thinking this has been the best week of my life and it's only Wednesday!" Considering the fact that on Monday he'd labeled the week one of his worst, this change of heart spoke volumes about the impact Nagi was already having on him and how profound their new relationship truly was.

The warmth of Omi's smile spilled over Nagi like a pleasant blanket and as the younger boy who was also discovering he felt quite strongly about his companion was about to ask if they could get together again the next day, a strange sound interrupted them.

"Esca~flowne! Esca~flowne!" A chorus of deep, resonant voices sang out from somewhere under the sable-haired youth's body.

Nagi released Omi's hand in a rush even as he jumped to his feet as if he'd been burned, exclaiming, "What the hell?!?"

"My phone!" Omi scrambled to drag the denim jacket towards himself before the voices could continue with the refrain from the Yoko Kanno anime soundtrack. He pulled the cell phone out from its hiding place and flipped it open before greeting brightly, "Omi here!"

Nagi stared at his friend and then rolled his eyes, annoyed with himself for overreacting the way that he had. Then again, he'd rarely been as relaxed and truly comfortable as he had been laying there holding Omi's hand loosely in his own and the interruption had startled him straight out of his pleasant reverie.

Meanwhile, cerulean eyes had gone wide as Omi belatedly realized that only one group of people would contact him at this number and it might be mission related, something he truly didn't want to cope with at that point since they were having such a nice afternoon together. 

Calling him from the phone at the back of the Koneko, Aya growled angrily, "Where the hell are you, Omi? You were supposed to be here at five o'clock since Ken's team has soccer practice."

"Oh, shit! I am *so* sorry, Aya-kun," Omi looked like he felt ill and hoped that Nagi would catch Abyssinian's common name and know not to say anything to give them away. 

The Schwarz psychic, of course, had already made that realization and had stepped away a little to avoid listening in case this was a matter involving their "night lives." Nagi desperately hoped that Omi wasn't being informed that he had an assignment from Kritiker that evening. Neither youth had actually taken the time to consider what they'd do when the other was sent off on a potentially life-threatening mission, but that was a worry they were deliberately procrastinating about.

"All right, take it easy, Omi," Aya calmed down as soon as he realized that he'd panicked his teammate if Omi's language had fallen apart so easily. In a more reasonable tone, he asked, "How soon can you get back here? We've got another couple of hours of work to do before we close up and then we're going to need you to finish a set of arrangements for a luncheon the ladies at the shrine ordered today that they need for tomorrow. Can you do that?"

"Sure thing, Aya-kun," Omi answered smiling and nodding to Nagi that everything was all right before explaining, "I'm at the park right now. I can be home in about twenty minutes if I hurry, will that be okay?"

One of the fangirls yanked on Aya's arm and the Weiss swordsman added in near desperation, "Just get here as soon as you can, Omi. We need a break!"

Almost choking on a giggle when he heard Yohji's melodious voice calling a greeting to even more new customers, Omi answered cheerfully, "No problem! I'll be there as soon as I can!" 

Disconnecting and then closing the phone, Omi rose and smiled apologetically to his companion and said, "I'm very sorry, Nagi-kun, but I totally lost track of the time! I promised Ken-kun I'd be back to take over at the flower shop when he went to take the neighborhood kids to play soccer this afternoon. I need to go."

Picking up the denim jacket he'd enjoyed laying on and knocking off the few blades of grass that clung to it, Nagi shyly smiled back, "I understand, Omi, really I do. I had no idea it had gotten so late already."

As he pulled on the jacket, and noticing that it smelled faintly like his friend's light yet masculine cologne, Omi smiled then frowned a little as he admitted, "Oh, and I won't be able to meet you after school tomorrow. I've got to work then, too."

The younger assassin's pleasant mood crumbled entirely and he nodded glumly, looking at the ground and wishing it would swallow him up. For the first time in a very long time, Nagi had allowed himself to rely on someone else for his happiness for even a moment. And just as he had given up on hiding his emotions and was letting Omi know what he really felt, the insecure boy assumed he was being told that the older teen was no longer interested in spending time with him. 

Dejected, Nagi tried to let his expressionless façade slip into place as he finally remarked, "Well, this was fun for awhile, Weiss. I guess I'll see you the next time we battle."

"Nani?!" Omi exclaimed, a worried frown on his face as he reached out and took Nagi's hand in his own the way he had when he'd first arrived at the park but didn't release it quickly as he had done previously. "What are you saying, Nagi-kun? I'm sorry if I forgot to mention all of this sooner, but I was hoping you might want to go to a movie with me on Friday. There's a new show at the anime theater by the university and we could see the matinee right after school, then get a bite to eat together, if you like."

Rapidly shifting moods left Nagi open once more to expressing himself more fully and he smiled quizzically as he asked, "You're inviting me to dinner and a movie the day after tomorrow?" His astonishment couldn't have been greater as he asked nervously, "Like a date, Omi?"

The older boy blushed slightly and nodded, clasping their hands together more tightly as he said, "Yes, Nagi-kun, I guess you could call it that." Even as he distantly realized this would be his first real date with anyone, he added hopefully, "If you're interested, I'd really like that a lot."

"I think that sounds great," the telekinetic responded as he smiled shyly. With obvious regret, Nagi then released the hand holding his own so warmly and pulled a slip of paper from a pocket which he gave to the older teen saying, "Um, I wanted to give you this in case you needed it for something. Come to think of it, it might come in handy if something comes up Friday and you can't meet me." 

"Oh? What's this?" Omi asked, glancing at the paper and reading aloud, "'ProfX@mutants.org'?" [1] He had no clue what the name meant, but he didn't bother to ask since he was busy thinking how thoughtful Nagi was to have this ready to give to him.

"Um," midnight blue eyes dropped down in embarrassment, "that's my email address. I'm online a lot, so I thought it might help if you needed to get in touch with me."

Omi grinned happily and put the note in a pocket of his jeans even as his other hand slipped into a jacket pocket, searching out a scrap of paper and a pen. He scribbled something down in a hurry and handed it to the other boy with a smile never once noticing that in their excitement about their upcoming date neither mentioned the neutral territory issue. Not that it mattered, the same things that made both the library and the park safe for them to meet at applied to the anime theater as well.

It was Nagi's turn to be a little confused, though, as he read the slip of paper and asked, "This is your email address? 'Williamtell@classicalmusic.net'? There must be an interesting story behind that."

"Oh, not really," Omi smiled and then nearly panicked as he realized he was going to be late getting back if he didn't hurry, but there was something else he needed to check on first. As always, he wanted to make sure that the Schwarz assassin had transportation home, so he asked, "Will you be able to catch the subway from here okay, Nagi-kun? I've really got to get going or good old Abyssinian will have my head!"

Chuckling very softly, Nagi commented, "I got here just fine, Bombay, I'll get home equally well. Now go before that katana-wielding menace calls again." 

Despite their decision not to discuss their other lives, teasing one another by code name seemed a natural for the boys but Nagi was extremely relieved that Omi had no clue that within Schwarz he himself was referred to as "Prodigy", a name he disliked with a passion.

Laughing outright, Omi agreed, "Yes, yes, I'm going! See you on Friday, Nagi-kun!" 

Lightning fast reflexes allowed Omi to step forward and give Nagi a quick yet heartfelt hug before turning and dashing off to the parking lot. The genki youth was blushing when he arrived at his motorcycle even as he hoped against hope that he hadn't made a terrible mistake by giving in to the impulse to embrace the smaller teen the way that he had. After pulling on his helmet, he checked the pocket with the slip of paper with Nagi's email address on it one last time, grinned at his good fortune to have found a fellow online addict for a friend, and then headed home in a hurry.

Back by the lake, however, a dark-haired youth stood frozen in place, temporarily unable to move as his mind spun crazily following the incredibly brief moment spent in Omi's arms, a moment that flashed past too quickly for Nagi to even attempt to respond to the older boy in kind. 

//Did he just do what I think he did?//

Nagi couldn't believe that he'd been hugged by his handsome friend in public the way that he had been, but the sad truth was that he couldn't recall being offered such a caring gesture before in the first place.

//Um, well, I've got to admit, that felt really nice.//

Forcing one foot in front of another, the telekinetic slowly began to make his way to the subway stop that would take him back to the Schwarz penthouse. His thoughts swirled and tumbled over themselves. Images of blond hair that looked as soft as a feather and eyes of blue that seemed to dance whenever Omi smiled at him kept popping in front of everything else his mind tried to consider.

With a happy sigh, Nagi boarded the train and let his daydreams carry him away to a place where he could watch Omi make ice cream for him without fear and the two young men didn't have a care in the world. No more combat in the frightening urban war-zone that Tokyo could become at night. No more hiding their friendship from the men each of them lived and worked with. And, best of all, no more forcing himself to pretend that he didn't have feelings and that happiness didn't matter to him at all. 

Needless to say, Nagi enjoyed the ride back more than he had expected to thanks to Omi's spur of the moment parting embrace. It was amazingly good to know someone cared about him so much. 

*****

To be continued.

Author's Notes:

[1] The email addresses I use in this story are intended to reflect what the characters think about themselves as well as what is important to them. Nagi's address will be explained in the body of the story later and Omi's should be obvious to anyone familiar with classical music. Before anyone laughs and thinks I mean the Lone Ranger based on the old American television show whose theme song was based on the piece in question, no, that was *not* what I had in mind!

[Posting Run Dedication] This evening's posting run is hereby dedicated to the many wonderful hall costume wearers at Neko-Con V, especially the many males who were spotted actually portraying some of the same delightful bishounen so many of my stories are about! There was a perfectly adorable young man who played both Kenken of "Weiss Kreuz" *and* Hakkai from "Saiyuki" who went so far as to have a custom-made Hakuryu plushie with him. Kawaii! To my utter amazement, there was an entire collection of eight fans dressed as the assassins of Schwarz and Weiss which surprised me endlessly, especially the Nagi who had a great costume. There was also a complete set of "Gravitation" characters who had a choreographed dance performance no less and what had to have been one of the most "on the mark" Shuichi's I've ever seen. There were plenty of single characters wandering about, lots of Schuldich's and plenty of Omi's as well as the requisite number of Gundam pilots, Kenshin's, Inuyasha's, etc. All in all, it was most entertaining just to watch the people wandering around and I wanted to take a moment to salute them. 

Please be advised: Parts 10 & 11 will be posted together.

Originally posted: 15 November 2002 ~2:05am EST

Revised chapter posted: 15 March 2003 ~1:35am EST


	12. Pleasant Hours Precede a Crisis ::rev::

[original intro-note from 19 November 2002]

Greetings!

Welcome to yet another performance of "Neutral Territory" here at the Angst Theatre! Surprisingly enough, tonight's show includes some yummy Omi-torture and brief references to past Ken-sorrow, so let's get to it, shall we?

{dons a blindingly white lab coat, hides one eye as if concealing an evil implant, and does his level best to resemble a doctor who seems to exist primarily to attempt to seduce a certain shinigami as well as to plot and scheme revenge on his already dead brother, then reads the playbill}

When the curtain rises on this evening's production, Omi has just arrived home and is greeted by the usual fangirls and a far less furious Abyssinian than he expected. After a pleasant evening with his teammates, however, he makes a frightening discovery that causes him to question the validity of his burgeoning friendship with Nagi. Will he allow his doubts to destroy the warmth the two teens are beginning to share or will someone intervene and bring him out of his dark thoughts before he makes a grievous decision?

{beams evilly so as to stay in character, then goes back to being a llama for the all important thank you note section since he felt just awful about leaving it out last time}

Happily, there are still a few folks out there who tolerate my nonsense enough to encourage my muses and me, so I hereby wish to express my appreciation to the following folks for comments either privately or on-list for chapters 8-11: photogenic Yanagi-sen, dedicated Kaze, adorable Wataruo, artful focsfyr, friendly Nalan Li, sweet Heather, darling Ryoko, and brotherly Rubious, of course! 

Meanwhile, over here at FanFiction.net, I'm grateful to some other really great people including: my wonderful new friend Toto Bombay the Ice Princesse, Carter Tachikawa, Priscilla, Black Silk Dreams, Porcelain Dragon, P. S. Speare (waves at good friend who is a wonderful writer), Weisshund, and Yanagi-chan (not to be confused with Yanagi-sen!). Oddly enough, at MediaMiner.org there's not a single comment so far, but the hit counter is now over 180, so I assume someone's enjoying it there.

{shrugs since MM.org readers are notorious for reading without reviewing and doesn't worry over it at all since the sounds of crickets are better than flames, then invites you to--}

Enjoy the Angst!

~~~Enigma~~~

(who desperately needs guidance regarding what to do with Aya/Ran and his angst! should he find solace in Yohji and Ken's arms despite his attempts to seem uncaring OR should he continue to agonize and possibly begin soliloquizing ala Hamlet? {snickers since the image of Abyssinian talking to a skull is rather odd, then smiles and mentions} actually, there are already two votes in favor of a threesome coming together here, but more input is requested since this aspect is all about providing the fans with what they as a group want most!)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

****

Title: Neutral Territory [part 12/?]

Author: Enigma

Written: begun October, 2001 

Rating: R 

Pairings: (Omi + Nagi) (Yohji + Ken) (Brad + Schu) 

Category: Shonen ai/Yaoi Angst Friendship Romance Action Violence. AU-OOC. Giftfic.

Archive: fanfiction.net & mediaminer.org [author: "E-sama the Llama"] plus Wuffie.net [author: "Enigma"]

Warnings: shonen ai/yaoi, angst, masculine friendship in many forms, various levels of romance, action, coarse language, whiffs of citrus but nothing detailed, possibly graphic violence, bloodshed, tiny bits of humor, fluff, and sap; more warnings will be added as necessary. AU-OOC. Giftfic for Rubious.

Spoilers: Aya's sister's condition and a few other small things, nothing major.

Disclaimer: "Weiss Kreuz" is the property of Koyasu Takehito and Project Weiss. All original characters featured herein (including but not limited to: Glocksten, Charon, etc.) are © Enigma, 2003, and are not to be used without permission. This unauthorized work of fanfiction is intended for entertainment only; kindly do not sue me.

Notes: Omi's first trip to the public library results in an unexpected meeting when Nagi saves his life without being aware of the Weiss archer's identity. Can two lonely teens overcome the limits of their dark purpose in life to find friendship and possibly love in the midst of "neutral territory"? 

//thoughts// 

{{mental speech}}

*****

Wednesday early evening. The Koneko no Sumu Ie.

*****

Wondering just how angry with him Aya really was, Omi parked his motorcycle behind the flower shop and rushed in through the back entrance, scooping up his buttercup yellow apron and pulling it on in time to be greeted by a flood of excited young girls.

"Omi-kun is here!" A delighted soprano called out.

"Omi, help me find something nice to take to my aunt!" Another cheerful girl exclaimed, "She just had a baby!"

"Over here, Omi-kun!" A bouncy brunette called hopefully, "Please, I want your advice on buying a plant for my bedroom window!"

Laughing and smiling, the boy answered them all, "Hi, everyone! I'll be glad to help you, just give me a chance to let Aya-kun know that I'm here!"

Sets of both violet and jade eyes had already fallen on him, though, and Omi could practically feel the relief flowing off of the two older florists as Yohji remarked dryly to Aya, "'His Royal Genkiness' has arrived. Finally." He chuckled and added, "I think we can survive another couple of hours after all."

"Hn," the slightly shorter man snorted softly, far more at ease than he'd admit openly.

"Well then," the elder of the two stretched his long arms above his head and remarked, "I think I'll go catch a smoke out back."

"Oh no you won't!" Aya growled, grabbing Yohji by the back of his distracting, abdomen-baring midriff shirt. "You didn't get here until almost 2:00 and I've been here all damned day! I need a cup of tea before I kill one of these screaming girls! Stay put! You can indulge your nicotine addiction later!"

"Alright, already!" Yohji chuckled and turned back to face his teammate, smiling as he added, "Go on, get some tea and relax, Aya. Omi and I can handle these noisy females for awhile. Just drop back in at least a half-hour before we close to help get rid of the stragglers, okay?"

Aya cocked his head in disbelief and then narrowed his icy amethyst eyes, asking suspiciously, "What do *you* get out of the deal, Kudou, if I do take a longer break? You don't have a philanthropic bone in your body, so don't expect me to think you're doing this out of the goodness of your heart."

Yohji dramatically clutched his hands to his chest and moaned, "You wound me, sir! You doubt my motives and question my virtue! Verily, thou dost me wrong!"

"Ugh," the redhead groaned, pulling off his light green apron and smoothing the front of his favorite orange turtleneck as he answered, "Never mind. I'd rather not hear any more abuse of the Bard. I'll be back in a few minutes. Tell Omi if he asks."

Snickering at Aya's comment, Yohji nodded and waved the man off towards the back of the shop then waded in among Omi's throng of schoolgirls calling out, "Any ladies over eighteen in here that require my assistance?"

There was, of course, no one over sixteen amongst the crowd other than a business man who needed a quick dozen roses to apologize for some unspecified slight his wife had suffered, and Yohji found himself pleasantly occupied with gathering the stock needed for the arrangements for the shrine luncheon. 

From time to time, he'd glance over at Omi, but the boy seemed even happier than usual, totally tolerant of the silly questions the fangirls threw at him, bustling back and forth selling them small posies and the occasional potted plant for the ones who wanted something "different". Aya returned within a half-hour, slightly less gruff thanks to the soothing effects of green tea and he replaced Yohji at the workbench, quickly designing the first of the bouquets and making the prototype for all of the others to be assembled during the evening.

*****

Wednesday evening. The flower shop.

*****

At almost 7:30pm, Yohji strode to the front of the shop, rolled down the steel gate, and announced to the other two florists present, "Gentlemen, we are now closed. Congratulations on surviving another hectic day here at the Koneko no Sumu Ie!"

"Bravo!" Omi cheered even as he walked over to examine the arrangement Aya had created but before he could ask about why it had no red flowers in it, there was a loud rapping on the steel gate.

"Oi! Aya! Yohji! Let me in!" Ken's voice drifted to them from where he apparently stood on the front sidewalk. "I've got hot food and don't want to walk all the way back to the alley if you guys are still in there!"

"Ken-kun!" the youngest chirped as he rushed to open the gate, smiling brightly and taking one of the bags from his friend's arms. "Oh! This smells delicious! Where'd you pick this up?"

"Hey there, Omi!" Ken greeted, pleased to see the boy after missing him the night before as well as at breakfast since the brown-eyed man had slept a little extra to make up for going dancing on Tuesday night. "Ah, *this*, my friend, is a special meal! Tomo-chan, one of my players on the five to seven year-old team, did really well today and since his mom runs that teriyaki stand I like so much, she set us all up with her house specialty, teriyaki chicken! [1] Man, I gotta tell you, that lady *knows* what I like! Mine has extra veggies in it!"

"Sugoi!" The smallest member beamed and then turned to ask, "Aya-kun? Do you want me to work on the flower arrangements first or eat?"

The willowy redhead frowned slightly and shrugged as if he didn't care like usual and answered with a question of his own, "Aren't you hungry, Omi? I didn't let you even make it into the kitchen after you got in from school or anything."

"Oh, I'm fine," Omi smiled back, the same wistful look in his cerulean eyes as he commented, "I grabbed a snack at the park." 

"Hmph!" Yohji snorted in mock-irritation, "A growing boy needs more to eat than just 'snacks' all the time, Omiitchi! Let's get you and all the lovely food Kenken has brought us inside and chow down before it gets cold!" 

Ken snickered at his lover's humorous attempts at sounding paternal, then his stomach growled noisily and he laughed, "It sounds like a good idea to me, too! I'm starved! I think it's harder to coach little kids who play soccer than it was to be a J-league goalkeeper!" Smirking, he elbowed past the others, gathered up Omi and the rest of their teriyaki dinner, and headed into the kitchen, leaving Yohji to reclose the steel gate and Aya to turn off the lights. 

There would be plenty of time to make the floral arrangements later. When four young men are hungry and there's hot food readily available, it's usually a good idea not to come between the diners and their dinner.

*****

Wednesday late evening. First the flower shop's kitchen and then the basement.

*****

Ken sat back from the dining table totally full and comfortable, pleased with his soccer teams' performances when his mind drifted to more serious matters. Leaning forward and placing his chin on one hand, he asked, "So, Omi, what have you got for us so far on Glocksten and Charon? Anything we can base a strike on yet?"

The youngest member of Weiss shook his head and apologized, "I'm afraid not, Ken-kun. But I haven't had a chance to check my email for messages or to do a diagnostic on my searches since before I left for school this morning. I'll work on them tonight, though, just as soon as I get those arrangements done for that luncheon thing."

Aya frowned unhappily since he knew he might regret what he was about to say, but he knew that he had to put the objectives of Kritiker above his own personal preferences. There was also the matter of assisting Yohji to obtain the revenge he wanted so desperately, a desire Aya knew only too well. Ultimately, however, simply eliminating another foul organization that specialized in child abuse on an inhuman level would be more than worth giving up a long soak in a hot bath and catching up on some light reading. Tolstoi could wait.

Crossing his arms over his chest in a further show of his annoyance, the scarlet-haired man sighed loudly then stated as emotionlessly as he could, "Don't worry about the flowers, Omi. I'll take care of them if it'll give you more time to work on tracking down those bastards."

"Really, Aya-kun? Are you sure?" The young blond wasn't willing to accept such an offer too easily. He knew he'd angered the swordsman earlier in the day by being late to take over Ken's spot at the shop and had assumed he'd be making up for it all evening before he even got a chance to get to work on the case.

"Yes, I'm sure," Aya sighed again, then added, "I just want to get the mission taken care of before Glocksten gets a chance to move his operations elsewhere. Do you have all the data you needed for tonight's search?"

"Yes, I think so," Omi nodded grimly, then recalled that he hadn't gotten a chance to figure out what to do with the scrap of data he'd tried to discard when they'd first received the assignment. 

Since what was written on it seemed so utterly useless yet he knew he needed to figure it out, Omi had left it in his jeans pocket hoping that inspiration would strike him while he went through his day and it might help him solve the puzzle. Reaching into his pocket to retrieve it, he instead pulled out the piece of paper with Nagi's email address on it. He smiled to himself as he thought of the boy with eyes that sparkled like lapis lazuli and hair the color of toasted walnuts. 

Getting his mind back on the search, Omi suddenly remembered that the paper he wanted was in his jacket and planned to get it before heading to the basement. With a smile, he said, "Thanks again for bringing home dinner, Ken-kun! Please tell your player's mom that it was really good!"

"Sure thing!" Ken smiled in return. "Good luck on those searches, Omi. We *all* want to see those guys taken out of the picture as soon as possible."

"I'll do my best!" Omi promised, leaving the room to grab his denim jacket on his way to the basement. As he waited for the computer to boot up, he discovered that the scrap of paper that he needed was missing from his pocket. Using a trick that had never failed him in the past, he put the jacket back on, allowing his senses to be stimulated by the feel and the smell of it and thereby helping him to remember what he'd done while wearing it.

"Let's see," the young blond thought aloud softly, "school was pretty much the same as always, um, other than the way that Masami and Natsume gave me grief, that is." He felt a slight warmth flow into his cheeks as he blushed while recalling the teasing he'd received from his surprisingly observant classmates.

Forcing his mind back on task, he closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, using his sense of smell to jog his memory. Realizing the faint yet masculine scent on the fabric was from when Nagi had lain upon it in the grass, he continued, "Then I went to the park to meet Nagi-kun." 

The flush on his face darkened as he imagined how beautiful Nagi had looked when they'd been together by the lake. Sunlight kissing his friend's alabaster skin and adding much needed color and warmth to the telekinetic's already attractive face. "Hmm, what all did we do today? We ate ice cream, talked a lot, watched the clouds, talked some more, then Aya-kun called and ruined everything, what a jerk."

The frown that had formed on Omi's face at the memory of his friend's phone call surprised the young archer and he pondered, "Why did I put it that way? It was my own fault that I forgot that I promised to cover for Ken-kun. It's not Aya-kun's fault that I'm scatterbrained at times. Then again, we *were* having such a nice afternoon. Then what? Oh, right, we exchanged email addresses and… Oh shit!" The memory of pulling out what had seemed like a useless scrap of paper to write the address on presented itself to the blond and everything came together at once.

Slapping his forehead in annoyance with himself, Omi commented unhappily, "*That's* what that slip of paper was that I wrote mine on! Damn it! I gave it to Nagi and I never did figure out what the hell it meant! SHIT!! *Now* what'll I do? I might've needed that info, but I can't very well tell Aya-kun I just gave some of the data from Kritiker to a member of Schwarz! He'd *kill* me!"

A despondent groan left Omi's throat as he collapsed into the chair in front of the computer and his head sank into his hands as he added mournfully, "And I'd deserve it. What a fool I am to let this all get so messed up! I mean, this isn't anyone's fault but my own and if it keeps us from completing this mission, I might as well just tell the others everything and let them get rid of me before I destroy anything else important."

Feeling utterly defeated, the youngest member of Weiss sighed sorrowfully and stared at the screensaver in front of him. The ornate snow white crucifix that filled the screen seemed to indict him all the more by being superimposed on a field of perfect blackness. It seemed as if the darkness behind it wanted to swallow up the purity of the cross and somewhere at the bottom of Omi's soul, he wondered if that was what was happening to him. 

The youngest member of Schwarz now filled Bombay's heart and his thoughts. 

Was Omi losing his own identity as one who defended the goals of good in favor of pursuing a personal relationship with someone who might be seen to embody the goals of evil? Was his own tarnished soul losing its only saving grace by crying out to one of the fallen? Or was he simply a young man in love with another even younger man and they were both trapped into lifestyles so far past that which was normal that judgements like these were not only irrelevant but even dangerous?

At that moment, alone in the basement of the flower shop, faced with what seemed like a horrible failure on his part, Omi had lost his sense of proportion and it was simply too overwhelming to grasp logically. Hence, he merely sat there, temporarily frozen and the world continued to move on without him.

*****

To be continued.

Author's Notes:

[1] Please indulge a minor reference from a character to the talented man who gives him a voice. In one of the perfectly adorable "Interviews with Weiss" on the Media-Blasters DVDs, Ken's prolific seiyuu Seki Tomokazu is addressed as "Tomo" by none other than Yohji's seiyuu the incomparable Miki Shinichiro {notes pointedly that these two live action bishounen share shows more often than not and isn't that terribly convenient for all the Yohji/Ken, Van/Allen, etc. lovers out there} and this just came to mind as a result.

Please be advised: Parts 12 & 13 will be posted together.

Originally posted: 19 November 2002 ~2:15am EST

Revised chapter posted: 15 March 2003 ~1:35am EST


	13. Words of Wisdom and Action Taken ::rev::

****

Title: Neutral Territory [part 13/?]

Author: Enigma

Written: begun October, 2001 

Rating: R 

Pairings: (Omi + Nagi) (Yohji + Ken) (Brad + Schu) 

Category: Shonen ai/Yaoi Angst Friendship Romance Action Violence. AU-OOC. Giftfic.

Archive: fanfiction.net & mediaminer.org [author: "E-sama the Llama"] plus Wuffie.net [author: "Enigma"]

Warnings: shonen ai/yaoi, angst, masculine friendship in many forms, various levels of romance, action, coarse language, whiffs of citrus but nothing detailed, possibly graphic violence, bloodshed, tiny bits of humor, fluff, and sap; more warnings will be added as necessary. AU-OOC. Giftfic for Rubious.

Spoilers: Aya's sister's condition and a few other small things, nothing major.

Disclaimer: "Weiss Kreuz" is the property of Koyasu Takehito and Project Weiss. All original characters featured herein (including but not limited to: Glocksten, Charon, etc.) are © Enigma, 2003, and are not to be used without permission. This unauthorized work of fanfiction is intended for entertainment only; kindly do not sue me.

Notes: Omi's first trip to the public library results in an unexpected meeting when Nagi saves his life without being aware of the Weiss archer's identity. Can two lonely teens overcome the limits of their dark purpose in life to find friendship and possibly love in the midst of "neutral territory"? 

//thoughts// 

{{mental speech}}

*****

Wednesday late evening into the night. The basement of the flower shop.

*****

When Ken walked down the spiral staircase to bring the Weiss tactician a cup of hot chocolate, he never expected to find the blue-eyed teen sitting motionless and looking utterly miserable while staring blankly at the screensaver on the computer.

"Omi? Is something wrong?" Ken asked, then became even more concerned when the younger teen jumped guiltily when he heard his voice.

"Oh, Ken-kun! You startled me!" Omi felt his heart race a bit as adrenaline flooded his bloodstream and he clutched the front of his shirt nervously. Despite the lack of physical danger, his own mind had been running in frightening circles and the fight or flight response had been invoked all too easily. Cerulean orbs peered up at chocolate ones and he apologized, "I'm sorry, I was just thinking. Um, is that for me?" He nodded towards the steaming mug his friend still held, a tiny smile creeping onto his lips as he noted it was almost overflowing with tiny marshmallows just the way he liked it best. 

"Yeah," Ken smiled and handed it to him, pleased when Omi tasted it and obviously enjoyed the sweet concoction. "I wanted to thank you again for coming in to cover for me this afternoon. I had no idea that you had plans for after school today, and I'm sorry if you had to cut them short because of me."

"No, it's okay," Omi answered as he sipped thoughtfully at his drink. "Maybe I shouldn't be spending quite so much time just socializing anyway. We've got an assignment from Persia and I should be focusing on *that* instead of goofing off the way that I have been."

"Nonsense!" The brunette retorted angrily. "Listen, Omi, I don't know what Aya or Yohji might've said to make you think *that*, but I happen to believe that it's about time you enjoyed yourself more. I damned well think that going to a park after school to hang out with friends is a *good* thing for you to do!" 

Ken placed a warm hand on the smaller boy's shoulder and looked him straight in the eye, forcing Omi to listen to his words and hopefully understand his point of view. He continued, "You're still a kid, Omi, we tend to forget that considering the way you can make this damned computer of yours dance and sing. Shit, without your skills as a hacker, we'd probably not get half as much done to get rid of the rats that infest this city. *However*," he looked at Omi with eyes that held the memory of his own painful past, "I don't think any of that is worth you giving up on just enjoying being a kid the way that you usually do. If you've finally found something that you enjoy doing beyond this place, then you need to go for it."

Omi opened his mouth to protest, but Ken felt strongly about the issue and he pressed on, "When I was your age, all I cared about was making it in the J-league. [1] I practiced all day and worked hard to try to help my team win games at night. When it all fell apart, well, that's when I realized that I had never gotten around to just kicking back and being myself. Soccer was my life, but then it was all gone and I had nothing. I see you doing the same thing at times, Omi. You work so hard on catching the bad guys for Weiss that you never do anything fun like go on dates or hang out with your friends. If you've finally found someone you want to do those kinds of things with, then *do* them! We'll still pull off the mission, don't worry about it so much, okay?"

The younger assassin had no idea that his teammate had been as miserable as a seventeen year old as he himself was at times and Ken's admissions helped Omi to accept the fact that spending time with Nagi might not be such a bad thing after all. Becoming friends with the telekinetic had done nothing to interfere with the objectives of Kritiker no matter how much Omi's guilty conscience wanted to argue otherwise. 

There was an unexpected tightness in Omi's chest as he nodded gratefully to his friend and answered, "You're right of course, Ken-kun, but I never thought of it that way. I mean, I knew I tended to skip most of the stuff my schoolmates like to do and I didn't really care. Maybe I should spend a little more time just having fun when I can, huh?"

"Yeah, you should," Ken smiled and then ruffled Omi's soft blond hair playfully, deliberately breaking some of the tension in the air by trying to annoy his young friend. "Now stop looking like such an old man and relax a little! Finish your cocoa before you get started on hunting for Glocksten, okay? Maybe just play a game on that damned thing for a change." The look he threw the computer had more to do with the fact that Ken could understand only about half of what Omi did with the machine in the first place than what he truly felt about it. 

Amusement in his eyes, Omi laughed a little and offered, "How about a compromise? I don't feel like playing a game, but instead of getting too far lost in my search engines, I'll go check my email and goof off a little for awhile."

"That doesn't *sound* like 'goofing off' to me, but whatever makes you happy is fine with me," Ken agreed. "I just want to see you not getting as down as you were when I walked in here a bit ago. *And* I don't ever want to hear you say that you shouldn't spend time with your friends. It's important to enjoy yourself, okay?"

"Okay, okay!" Omi laughed again and swiveled his chair back to face the computer and let his fingers fly across the keyboard, entering passwords and commands without waiting for the screen to catch up to him. 

As Ken walked back towards the stairs, he heard a cheerful electronic voice proclaim, "You've got mail!" and Omi muttered something about wondering how many of the messages awaiting him weren't spam for a change. The brunette chuckled as he left the basement and hoped that the blond wouldn't forget his words since he had meant every last one of them.

Alone once more and feeling much better than he had before Ken's heartfelt lecture on the importance of enjoying one's youth, Omi realized that if Nagi had a scanner maybe he could send him the data that had accidentally ended up in his possession.

Opening an email form, Omi considered whether to state what he needed plainly or if it would be better to "chat" electronically about the issue in a format that shouldn't be saved automatically the way that email was. He wasn't sure if Nagi even had access to an instant message service, but since most computer-users did, it seemed like a reasonable thing to hope for. 

Signing the brief missive with only his email address since he feared that someone at the Schwarz headquarters other than Nagi might read the note, he hit the "send" button and sighed, "Well, I hope he gets that sometime tonight. I probably don't even need the info on that stupid piece of paper, but…" His words were interrupted by the sound of an incoming instant message for himself. "What on earth?" 

Opening the window for the instant message, he grinned when he saw it was from Nagi's address and he replied quickly:

****

Williamtell: Hi! That was fast! Were you just sitting around online wondering if I'd send you a note? (grin) [2]

Nagi answered him equally quickly:

****

ProfX: (sad smile) No, not really, I'm usually online all night when I'm home. I don't have many friends to spend time with in real life. In a way, the web is where I really live anyway. I run an X-Men RPG here, so it doesn't matter. (slight shrug) 

Omi felt hurt by this comment in more ways than one. He'd realized that the diminutive telekinetic seemed terribly lonely from their conversations over the past three days, but to say he had almost no friends at all tugged painfully at his heart. He asked:

****

Williamtell: (sniffle) Aren't _I_ your friend, Nagi-kun? (pout)

****

ProfX: (rushing to reassure) Of course you are, Omi! (sweat-drop) But please don't call me that here. I go by "Xavier" when I'm online, okay? (pleading look)

****

Williamtell: (nodding emphatically and feeling foolish) No problem, Xavier! Gee, that's long, maybe I'll call you "X" instead.

****

ProfX: (sweat-dropping again) Now I sound like an angsty CLAMP manga! (grin) But that's what a lot of my friends call me here, so it's okay. (nervous) Um, I just realized I called you by name a moment ago. Did you want me to call you something different, too? It might be a good idea if anyone walks in while I'm online talking to you. (curious)

****

Williamtell: (grateful smile) Good idea! I never even thought of that! Hmm, how about you call me "Will"? I usually don't have a nickname online since I hardly ever "chat". This is kinda weird to me. 

****

ProfX: (laughing) It's not "weird" to me at all. I've got IM-friends all over the world and I'm more accustomed to typing a conversation than having one verbally. You're actually the first person I've chatted with online whose face I've seen. It's kinda nice knowing who it is I'm "talking" to for a change. (smile) Well, Will, didn't your email say you needed something urgently? What was it?

Omi's thoughts had been going a mile a minute as he communicated with the Schwarz psychic, wondering if they hadn't broken yet another barrier that should have remained in place between the rival groups. Suddenly though, Nagi's question shoved that thought straight out of his mind. 

As he quickly formulated a request for a scanned copy of the slip of paper with his email address on it, Omi entirely missed the fact that Nagi embraced a far more emotionally demonstrative personality when online than he did in real life. If he'd thought of it, he might've considered this further proof that the other blue-eyed teen truly needed as much of a chance to open up to the pleasures of just being a teenager that Ken had spoken of so fervently earlier in the evening as Omi himself did. 

Almost before the request was explained fully, the electronic voice called out once more, "You've got mail!" and Omi discovered that Nagi had already scanned the slip and sent him the results. A new message popped up in the chat window:

****

ProfX: (sad, nervous smile) Please _don't_ tell me why you asked me to do that, Will. If it transmitted well enough, I'm going to delete that file, shred this paper, and not look at it so we can keep our agreement not to be involved in that part of each other's lives, okay?

****

Williamtell: (sweat-drop) Um, how did you guess that, X? Am I that transparent?

****

ProfX: (shakes head) No, not at all. It's just that I know how much you worry over what you have to do and I don't want it to be a problem for either of us.

****

Williamtell: (relieved) Oh, okay! By the way, it came through just fine, so feel free to destroy it now if you want. Um, at least, destroy it _after_ you copy down my email address, though, okay? (nervous smile) I mean, in case you ever feel like emailing me again or anything.

****

ProfX: (giggling) Silly! I did that as soon as I got home! (shy smile) I had a great time this afternoon. Thanks again. 

****

Williamtell: (blushing furiously) You're welcome, X! I had a great time, too! And don't worry, a (coughs as he tries to come up with a nickname for a certain occasionally difficult-to-live-with redhead and can't think of anything clever right at the moment) "certain person" didn't give me any grief when I got home after all. 

****

ProfX: (relieved) That's good to know. I felt bad thinking that I'd gotten you into trouble. 

****

Williamtell: (laughing) It wouldn't have been the first time, X! Believe me, it takes next to nothing to piss him off at times. (changes subject) So, tell me about the RPG you mentioned. Is it fun? What's it about?

****

ProfX: (happy grin) Oh, it's a _lot_ of fun, Will! It's about the X-Men. Um, that's a series of American manga about these mutants and all the villains they fight. We've got 53 players, so it gets pretty crazy at times. My character is the leader of the "good" mutants, Professor Xavier, and I'm the Game Master, too.

A happy smile spread across Omi's face as he read the words on the screen. He could almost hear his new friend's voice speaking them and he wondered what it would be like to have the other boy be this excited and upbeat in person. The desire to help the telekinetic to transcend his emotionless mask redoubled in Omi's heart.

Far across the city, Nagi was surprised by his openness with the Weiss assassin. He didn't usually allow anyone in either of his "worlds" to cross over the bridge between who he was in real life and who he was online. But there was something about Omi that pulled him from his self-protective shell more than anyone else ever did mainly because he instinctually knew that the blond youth wouldn't do anything to hurt him if he could possibly help it. 

As the two of them chatted away about Nagi's unexpected "secret identity", Omi relaxed and enjoyed a few hours of doing what Ken had recommended. While electronic communication wasn't half as satisfying as laying in the grass and gazing into eyes the color of a midnight sky, Omi still found himself laughing out loud from time to time. 

Eventually the genki boy resumed his search for Glocksten and Charon in a side window even as Nagi had to settle a dispute about a "battle" between "Cyclops" and "Juggernaut" that had been played out earlier in the day. Occasionally "ProfX" would send a humorous outtake from his other communications to "Williamtell" and both boys totally lost track of time yet were quite happy all the way around much as they had been earlier that day.

*****

To be continued.

Author's Notes: 

[1] Once again, I have to hold back on a few details regarding a character's past to avoid spoilers, but I felt as if I didn't really need to go much further than I did for Ken's painful background. The only key issue left unaddressed is a certain traitorous "friend" that might've been a lover, but we can ignore him in regards to this story continuity.

[2] The instant message conversations in this story are written in present tense as if they were dialogues and are interspersed with past tense narrative to enhance the reader's understanding of the scene. Words surrounded by parentheses like this (smiles) are "stage directions" the writers add to indicate reactions or to add humor to their words. Words surrounded by underline symbols like this _happy_ are meant to be read as emphasized. 

[Posting Run Dedication] Tonight's mildly angsty performance of "Neutral Territory" is hereby dedicated to a new friend of mine from the YohjixKen ML, Wataruo! This kind soul puts a lot of effort into writing reviews of this work as it is posted, pointing out what is enjoyed most and offering insight into the characters as she/he sees them. Reading the things Wataruo writes after enjoying a posting run really helps me to find new ideas as well as to refine where I want to add or remove emphasis on certain features in the story in the future. Then again, this dear person is already on record as "not minding - hint, hint, hint" a Weiss threesome here and I *really* appreciated the input! {cheers delightedly, glad for friendship} Thanks again, Wataruo! I'm always glad to hear from you!

Please be advised: Parts 12 & 13 will be posted together.

Originally posted: 19 November 2002 ~2:15am EST

Revised chapter posted: 15 March 2003 ~1:35am EST


	14. Two Leaders, Two Approaches ::rev::

[original intro-note from 26 November 2002]

Greetings!

Welcome back to the Angst Theatre's debut performance of "Neutral Territory"! To make up for a small delay in getting more of this out so Erato and Melpomene could go hammer together a yummy one-shot lemon/angst piece for the Gaiden-era "Saiyuki" bishounen, this will be a special three chapter run so kindly don't kill me for being slow, okay?

{looks hopeful, then slips on a fairly nondescript outfit of jeans, a denim jacket, and an orange shirt, then puts in vivid green contact lenses, and places a vaguely annoyed expression of teenaged disinterest onto his face before reading the playbill}

Our show opens in Nagi's bedroom as the telekinetic lays in bed and thinks too much about his new friend even as his team leader decides to check on him. A few hours later, much the same is occurring at the Koneko and Aya does some soul-searching on a long, sleepless night before looking for Omi. Morning finds three of the florist/assassins of Weiss in the kitchen enjoying a humorous moment before Aya's arrival brings to mind past sorrow. Our final act gives more insight into the effects of lack of rest on Aya, then shifts to later in the day when Omi is caught daydreaming about Nagi and he must decide how much to tell Ken and how much to conceal.

{smiles a non-shinigami smile that the angst-laden character he is dressed as would sooner die--again!--than show and then gives his usual thank yous}

Please let me express my appreciation to the folks who've left reviews here at fanfiction.net first for a change since they've made such a huge impact on my muses with their uplifting comments! Since the last posting run, I've been pleased to have heard from: Carter Tachikawa, christina, Keimei, Chibigreen Tanuki, Moku, Akasha, Kyra, and Toto Bombay the Ice Princesse! Also to be thanked are Wataruo (who loved her dedication! I'm so glad!), Yanagi-sen, Farf's Bitch, Nalan Li, Heather, Ryoko, and Rubious, who all sent notes privately or on-list. Believe it or not, there was a review added at MediaMiner.org finally from Mariah which made me quite happy, too. 

Additional comments would be simply glorious, of course, so please consider taking a moment and giving my muses some ambrosia if you enjoyed anything in this evening's posting run, won't you? If nothing else, it'll give me more names for my thank you list next time and that's fun, too!

{bows gratefully then ends this by encouraging you to--}

Enjoy the Angst! 

~~~Enigma~~~

(who cautiously mentions he'll be busy for the next few days due to the Thanksgiving holiday as well as a need to revise and post the triple lemon tale "A Joyful Gathering" at mediaminer.org, but then it'll be back to work on this story for another Schwarz-centric chapter since so many folks like those)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

****

Title: Neutral Territory [part 14/?]

Author: Enigma

Written: begun October, 2001 

Rating: R 

Pairings: (Omi + Nagi) (Yohji + Ken) (Brad + Schu) 

Category: Shonen ai/Yaoi Angst Friendship Romance Action Violence. AU-OOC. Giftfic.

Archive: fanfiction.net & mediaminer.org [author: "E-sama the Llama"] plus Wuffie.net [author: "Enigma"]

Warnings: shonen ai/yaoi, angst, masculine friendship in many forms, various levels of romance, action, coarse language, whiffs of citrus but nothing detailed, possibly graphic violence, bloodshed, tiny bits of humor, fluff, and sap; more warnings will be added as necessary. AU-OOC. Giftfic for Rubious.

Spoilers: Aya's sister's condition and a few other small things, nothing major.

Disclaimer: "Weiss Kreuz" is the property of Koyasu Takehito and Project Weiss. All original characters featured herein (including but not limited to: Glocksten, Charon, etc.) are © Enigma, 2003, and are not to be used without permission. This unauthorized work of fanfiction is intended for entertainment only; kindly do not sue me.

Notes: Omi's first trip to the public library results in an unexpected meeting when Nagi saves his life without being aware of the Weiss archer's identity. Can two lonely teens overcome the limits of their dark purpose in life to find friendship and possibly love in the midst of "neutral territory"? 

//thoughts// 

{{mental speech}}

*****

Wednesday night, a little before midnight. Nagi's bedroom.

*****

Late on Wednesday night, after chatting with Omi for almost three hours as well as setting a new scenario in motion for his RPG participants, Nagi bid his new friend goodnight and went to bed even though it was remarkably early for him to do so. 

Laying in the comforting semi-darkness of his room, the usually antisocial telekinetic stared at the ceiling and reflected on the time spent in the sunshine that afternoon and how much he had enjoyed being with the outgoing blond archer.

//I don't recall ever having as much fun in one single day as I did today. Who knew that going to a park in the middle of the day could be so pleasant? I've always hated being outside in broad daylight, but I think that's a holdover from my life on the streets when I was little. Daytime was usually when I had to hide from the other kids.//

An errant moonbeam lit a frown which marred the smooth skin of his pale forehead as he fought back the memories he wished he could deny, a past he could never outrun. Sighing as he realized that those painful remembrances would never leave him no matter how much he wished for it to be otherwise, Nagi backtracked mentally to the first day of the week.

//What would've happened to Omi if I hadn't been there when that bookshelf got knocked over at the library on Monday?//

The frail psychic shuddered in sudden fear.

//Oh gods, he would've died! Right there in one of the safest places I know of, someone who can defend himself against even Farfie when he's had to in the past would've been killed by a bunch of dusty old books and no one could've done anything to stop it. That would've been absolutely horrible!//

Another tremble shook his too-thin frame as a disturbing mental image of the way the Weiss tactician's body would have been crushed into a bloody mass of broken bones and ruptured organs came to mind. In an attempt to soothe himself after that frightening thought, Nagi considered what might have been the result if Omi hadn't gone to that branch of the library in the first place.

//If he hadn't been there at all, though, I'd never have gotten a chance to get to know him and we'd never have found out that we had so much in common.//

As he thought more about how Omi had changed his world, Nagi calmed and smiled slightly unawares that the faintest of blushes was beginning to color his usually wan complexion.

//But that isn't what happened, now is it? Maybe it was fate or simple luck that I was there in just the exact right place to rescue him, but either way, I'm so glad that I *was*! And I'm even more glad that he insisted that we talk afterwards. I don't have the kind of self-confidence that Omi does to be able to just talk to anyone the way he must have to do in that flower shop Weiss runs. Hmm, I wonder if that's how he makes his spending money? Selling flowers probably suits him. I wonder if I'll ever get a chance to see where he works? That would be nice.//

Warmth filled Nagi's heart as his mind concocted a fairly detailed image of what he thought such an encounter might be like if fate felt like granting that, too. Granted, Omi had never even mentioned the name of the Koneko to him as part of the unspoken agreement to remain ignorant of the location of each other's homes, so Nagi was free to create his own vision of a florist's paradise to imagine his new friend within. Dark lashes feathered across barely pink cheeks in the moonlight as he allowed the astonishingly sweet fantasy to fill his mind.

//To see Omi surrounded by roses and carnations, happily smiling at me as he explains what each type of flower is, offering me one or two to smell and then telling me which one is *his* favorite and why he likes it would be so nice. Maybe he'd even pick out a type of flower that he thinks *I'd* like best and give me one to keep? I'd probably actually smile again even though other people might see it just because he'd made me so happy, and then I'd…//

Nagi's thoughts froze as he detected a presence nearby. Eyes the color of the darkest sapphires flew wide as he automatically assumed it was Schuldich and that his secret interest in the enemy was out since his shields might've been insufficient for the task of protecting their burgeoning friendship. 

Even as Nagi readied his powers for a single violent strike against the telepath in a foredoomed attempt at escape, the light from the hallway glinted off of shiny, wire-rimmed glasses. It wasn't Schuldich after all.

Suspicious yet somewhat off-balance mentally due to his fairly detailed fantasy about Omi and the flower shop, he asked, "Crawford? What do you want?" Ordinarily, he would've growled at the American for daring to invade his privacy so blatantly, but at that moment he was still in a pleasanter mood than usual thanks to thoughts of the endearing blond.

The leader of Schwarz blinked, startled by the words since he'd thought Nagi was asleep when he'd opened the door a crack and peered in at the boy whose eyes were closed at the time. The truth was that he'd just gotten in from the meeting he'd mentioned needing to attend and had wanted merely to check on the boy out of what could only be a fundamentally paternal concern, yet he'd never admit that to anyone other than his lover. 

Clearing his throat even as he chose deception as opposed to honesty, Crawford commented as if he didn't really care, "I thought I heard a suspicious noise in here, don't overreact." Realizing that Nagi looked a little flushed, he pushed the door open fully and stepped into the room, then walked boldly towards the small figure in the bed and reached out to check him for fever by pressing his hand to the boy's forehead.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Nagi demanded, angry at the unexpected touch yet wise enough to restrain the desire to use his telekinesis to push the much older man away since there were certain rules of conduct he knew were imposed upon him as a subordinate.

Not particularly stung by the boy's harsh reaction, Crawford remarked, "I'm just making sure that you'll be healthy for an assignment from Estet this weekend, Naoe. Calm down." 

Nagi, abashed since this was indeed a perfectly ordinary interaction after all, nodded and asked with a bit of curiosity, "Well? Am I running a fever or not?" 

Crawford moved his hand away and shook his head, "Borderline. If you feel ill in the morning, we'll make sure that you see a doctor." 

The Japanese psychic frowned, then commented, "All right, but I hope I'm not getting sick." He offered no explanation for his remark, choosing instead to focus on something else the man had said by inquiring, "You mentioned an assignment, Crawford. When is it?" 

Deep brown eyes gazed at Nagi with open curiosity. The youngest Schwarz psychic usually didn't show much interest in advance knowledge of the activities required of him by the organization he was a part of. Realizing he'd failed to answer the question, Crawford finally said simply, "Saturday night, why?" 

Relief flooded Nagi as he realized that he could still plan on going on the date with Omi on Friday. 

Caught up in more thoughts of the blond assassin, Nagi failed to mask the small smile that seemed to crawl onto his lips unbidden whenever he thought about the older teen. Suddenly aware that he'd shown such an inexplicable response to the American, he forced himself to blank his expression as he commented coolly, "I just wondered. Now, unless you need something else, I might as well get some sleep before school." 

Confused by the boy's obvious relief and his refusal to explain his reactions, Crawford briefly considered ordering Nagi to tell him the truth about what was going on yet decided against it. He also considered questioning him about the vision he'd discussed with Schuldich the previous evening, but the fact that Nagi really did need some sleep convinced him to wait. 

Straightening his glasses, the tall man nodded then turned to leave while saying, "Goodnight, Nagi." As he approached the still open door, Crawford added with a hint of hopefulness, "If there's ever anything you want to talk to me about, make sure to let me know." 

"Sure, Crawford, whatever," Nagi answered trying to sound like a typical petulant teenager before he added too quietly to be heard by the precognitive, "and goodnight to you too, brad. it's been a really long time since you said something nice like that to me."

Eyes slipping partially shut, the telekinetic reached out with his powers to shut and lock his bedroom door to avoid any other unexpected interruptions to his night. He lay awake for a while longer, wondering about Omi and hoping that he wasn't getting sick. Now he *really* wanted to make sure to see him again before the next assignment since he was worried that the two groups might meet in open warfare before the two of them could figure out how to cope with that aspect of their new relationship. 

Unfortunately, that was a key discussion they simply wouldn't get a chance to have before it was too late. 

*****

Thursday very early in the morning. First Aya's bedroom then the basement of the flower shop.

***** 

Unable to sleep, Aya rolled over in bed and glared at the clock for roughly the one-thousandth time in the course of a seemingly endless night.

//It's three in the goddamn morning, so why am I *still* awake?! Screw this, I'm getting some milk or something.//

The scarlet-haired man climbed out of bed, stuck his feet into well-worn slippers, grabbed a thick robe to go over the sweatpants and T-shirt he'd worn to bed, then stalked out of his bedroom door. Ignoring the pervading sense of exhaustion that was causing him to not think or act like himself, he passed the open door to Ken's empty bedroom and violet eyes rolled in annoyance.

//They must've been playing around in Yohji's room tonight. Maybe that's why I couldn't sleep? It was too quiet?//

Unexpectedly, Aya sighed deeply and shook his head as he simply stood there for a moment. Even though he would never have mentioned it to anyone, he had come to find some small measure of reassurance in overhearing the couple's noisy lovemaking and its absence had indeed registered on a subconscious level. 

Whereas he would not allow himself the warmth of an intimate relationship, Aya was privately pleased that Yohji and Ken weren't limiting themselves in such a harsh fashion. The fact that he valued their happiness while discounting his own only emphasized how dysfunctional his approach to life truly was. The swordsman needed love and affection as much as anyone else did, yet he refused to pursue them. Whether or not he would refuse such gifts if they were offered to him by those who knew him best, however, was unknown.

A frown crossed the violet-eyed man's lips as he pondered something from the previous afternoon.

//I wonder what Yohji really wanted when he suggested that I take a longer break than I'd asked for? He usually has something in mind when he does things like that. I wonder what he's up to?//

Snorting softly and then starting on his way again, Aya growled silently.

//He damned well better not be planning to start harassing me about that idiotic idea he had about all of us taking a vacation at an onsen! I've got better things to do with my time than watch him flirt with Ken while we're all naked and soaking in a hot spring!// [1]

Perhaps a better comment to himself might have been that he wasn't sure he could cope with such a scene primarily since it would only reiterate how alone he himself was. A distant thought that he also didn't want to have to deal with seeing quite so much of his friends' flesh ghosted past the back of his mind, he didn't need temptation to distract him from his pursuit of Takatori Reiji so as to avenge his family. 

As his path brought him to yet another open bedroom door, Aya's somewhat confused and inconsistent thoughts were replaced by much stronger ones as the Weiss field leader discovered that his youngest teammate wasn't where he should have been. 

//What the hell?! Why isn't Omi in bed by now? He shouldn't be doing those searches this late, what's wrong with that kid lately?//

Stalking towards the stairs intending to solve the mystery, Aya headed first to the unoccupied kitchen and then to the basement where he found Omi fast asleep, head pillowed on his arms in front of the computer. Evidence of the search for Glocksten and Charon was spread out around the slumbering youth. Luckily the chat window from earlier in the evening had long since been closed and replaced by a large and confusing spreadsheet that the Weiss tactician was using to try to correlate information on the leader of the detestable child prostitution/slavery ring. 

Amazed that someone as intelligent as Omi could do something as stupid as work himself to the point that he literally fell asleep at the keyboard, Aya considered just shaking the boy awake and telling him to go sleep in his own bed where he belonged. As quickly as the thought had occurred to him, though, he reconsidered.

//Since when do I have to be such a damned hard-ass all the time? Omi's obviously been putting in extra effort on this for all of us, he deserves some understanding.//

One long-fingered hand reached out to brush blond bangs back and the swordsman peered at the sleeping archer with a rarely seen slightly fond, brotherly smile pulling at the corners of his mouth.

//I doubt I'd ever admit this to anyone, but there're times when I think of Omi like a little brother since he reminds me of Aya-chan so much. The way he worries over everyone and always smiles even when he's hurting or miserable. Gods, I wish my sister was just sleeping the way he is right now, but she's not and there's nothing I can do for her right now anyway. However, there *is* something I can do for Omi, so why not?//

With great care, Aya moved to lift the smaller assassin into his arms and gently carry him over to the couch, nestling the slumbering boy into the cushions comfortably. Pausing to collect up the throw pillow that rested in the nearby chair to place under Omi's head, Aya observed that the teen was shivering slightly in his sleep. Frowning as he noticed it was indeed a bit chilly in the basement, the older assassin went and retrieved a warm blanket from the linen closet inside the nearby half-bath that also contained a well stocked first aid kit that the team had been forced to use all too often. 

Carefully tucking the thick cover around Omi's fully-clothed body, Aya smiled a little once more when a memory of doing something similar for his little sister years earlier occurred to him. Gazing at his teammate's peaceful face, he murmured, "sleep well, omi. we'll resume the hunt tomorrow."

As if in response, Omi sighed contentedly in his sleep while a dream about himself and Nagi enjoying a pleasant trip to the beach played itself out for him with luminous colors and vibrant feelings of youthful joy.

Aya, thankfully unaware of the contents of the images in the slumbering boy's mind, returned to the computer and saved all of the search related information appropriately then set the alarm on it to wake Omi for breakfast. As the screensaver with the pristine white cross surrounded by darkest black reappeared, the redhead yawned and hoped that he felt sleep calling him to itself. 

//Good. Maybe now I can get some rest, I'm beat.//

Turning out the lights as he made his way back to the stairs, a vagrant thought flowed through Aya's mind that he hoped that Omi would assume he moved to the couch on his own when he woke up. After all, Weiss' field leader didn't want the team to think that he was getting soft. 

Mistaking compassion for weakness wasn't all that rare a trait among men who knew other lives depended on them, but it wasn't a very useful thing to carry through life. Learning the difference between the two would be only one of many painful lessons that he and many others would be forced to learn before a new week began.

*****

To be continued.

Author's Notes:

[1] I've tried to keep my author's notes to a minimum lately, but I just have to say that the very idea of all four members of Weiss soaking in the buff at an onsen makes Erato happy. Um, then again, considering Abyssinian's current situation, perhaps it should just be the three eldest florist/assassins and who knows? Maybe Aya wouldn't be so "icy" anymore?

Please be advised: Parts 14 - 16 will be posted together.

Originally posted: 26 November 2002 ~1:45am EST

Revised chapter posted: 17 March 2003 ~2:15am EST


	15. A Revealing Breakfast with Weiss ::rev::

****

Title: Neutral Territory [part 15/?]

Author: Enigma

Written: begun October, 2001 

Rating: R 

Pairings: (Omi + Nagi) (Yohji + Ken) (Brad + Schu) 

Category: Shonen ai/Yaoi Angst Friendship Romance Action Violence. AU-OOC. Giftfic.

Archive: fanfiction.net & mediaminer.org [author: "E-sama the Llama"] plus Wuffie.net [author: "Enigma"]

Warnings: shonen ai/yaoi, angst, masculine friendship in many forms, various levels of romance, action, coarse language, whiffs of citrus but nothing detailed, possibly graphic violence, bloodshed, tiny bits of humor, fluff, and sap; more warnings will be added as necessary. AU-OOC. Giftfic for Rubious.

Spoilers: Aya's sister's condition and a few other small things, nothing major.

Disclaimer: "Weiss Kreuz" is the property of Koyasu Takehito and Project Weiss. All original characters featured herein (including but not limited to: Glocksten, Charon, etc.) are © Enigma, 2003, and are not to be used without permission. This unauthorized work of fanfiction is intended for entertainment only; kindly do not sue me.

Notes: Omi's first trip to the public library results in an unexpected meeting when Nagi saves his life without being aware of the Weiss archer's identity. Can two lonely teens overcome the limits of their dark purpose in life to find friendship and possibly love in the midst of "neutral territory"? 

//thoughts// 

{{mental speech}}

*****

Thursday early morning. The basement of the flower shop.

*****

An unfamiliar ringing sound eventually dragged Omi from slumber.

"What the hell is that noise?" The Weiss tactician demanded, looking up from the nest of blanket, pillow, and cushions on the couch where he had slept quite comfortably. Blurry cerulean eyes blinked several times as he looked around trying to figure out where he was. "Why am I sleeping in the basement in my clothes? And what *is* that annoying sound?!"

Glancing around the room, he noticed that an image of an old-fashioned alarm clock with actual bells on top of it had appeared on the screen of the computer and he sighed, "Oh, *that's* what it is! Shit, but that's an annoying program! I'll need to download a different alarm simulation someday. If I'm going to sleep down here, I'd at least like to wake up to something more normal." 

Sitting up was difficult thanks to the blanket being wound too tightly around him as well as the fact that his jeans were terribly uncomfortable as sleepwear, but he achieved it since the goal of turning off the irritating noise was so desirable. Once peace had returned to the basement, Omi stretched, scratched the back of his head in confusion, then went off to take a much needed shower.

*****

Thursday morning. The kitchen of the flower shop.

*****

Dressed for school and feeling much better, Omi wandered into the kitchen and found Ken at the stove cooking scrambled eggs and Yohji at the table sipping at a cup of coffee while reading the newspaper.

"Good morning, everyone!" The young blond greeted as he walked into the homey room and made a beeline for the coffeepot. The aroma of freshly browned bread tickled his nose and his stomach informed him that it wanted breakfast.

"Hi, Omi!" Ken smiled in return, "Want some eggs?"

"Yes, please, Ken-kun, that would be really nice," Omi replied as he poured a mug of coffee and then turned to glance at Yohji who was frowning in response to whatever he was reading in the paper. "Um, Yohji-kun? Is something wrong?"

"Huh?" Sleepy green eyes blinked up at him and then Yohji laughed slightly, "No, not really, Omiitchi. I was just reading the extended seasonal forecast the Tokyo weather service has issued and they're predicting a hard winter, that's all." With a stifled yawn, he folded the newspaper and set it aside, missing entirely a small article about the disappearance of a young, violet-eyed boy from the park Omi and Nagi had been at the day before. 

Ken frowned unhappily and commented, "'Hard winters' aren't good news for florists *or* assassins, that's for sure! Let's hope they're wrong." Shoveling fluffy yellow eggs onto a plate that was then placed in front of the eldest member of Weiss, he commanded, "Here you go, Yohji. Eat your breakfast, koi." 

"Yes, mom," Yohji teased in reply, but pulled the other man close for a quick hug before turning to look at the eggs critically as he put a bite in his mouth. "Hmm, these are good, but a little bland. Will you hate me forever if I put Worcestershire sauce on them, Kenken?"

Warm brown eyes threw an annoyed look at playful emerald ones even as Ken was already retrieving the requested condiment from the refrigerator. "I'd be shocked if you didn't put *something* on them, Kudou! I'm glad you're off that jalapeno kick you were on, though. I'd taste the damned things every time you'd kiss me. Yuck!"

Omi bit back a laugh as Yohji countered with, "Well, I *offered* to stop kissing you, sweetness, but you didn't like that option either. Is it *my* fault you're so hard to live with?"

"Yes," Ken replied teasingly as he whisked some eggs in a bowl. "I had no bad habits whatsoever until you came along and seduced me into that wild lifestyle of yours. Like going out and dancing all night before coming home and letting you have your evil way with me all the time? Oh, yeah, *definitely* all your fault!"

"It wasn't all *that* hard to 'seduce you', you know," Yohji nearly purred rising to the challenge and moving to embrace Ken from behind even as the younger man was beginning to cook a pan of eggs for himself and Omi.

"Yohji-kun! Ken-kun!" Omi suddenly exclaimed, blushing furiously as it occurred to him that perhaps the other two might have forgotten that he was even present. "Please! No sex in the kitchen!"

"No? Why not?" Yohji asked with a smirk. "Is that a new rule of Aya's or something?"

"No," Omi chewed on his lip lightly trying to keep from either laughing or shouting, "It's just a request. Please?"

"Of course, Omi," Ken reassured, gently pushing Yohji back towards the table. "We were just playing around *weren't* we, Yohji?"

"We almost were, but you said to stop," Yohji smirked again and barely dodged a piece of toast that Ken had launched at him. A good natured laugh erupted from his throat as he commented, "Good thing that you were the one to throw that at me, Kenken, and not Omiitchi over there! With his accuracy, I might have ended up dead due to bread!" An amused chuckle nearly masked the last few words as Yohji turned back to the serious business of eating the breakfast his lover had cooked for him before it got cold.

Ken and Omi both groaned at the stupid remark and shook their heads in amazement that the former detective seemed to have a bottomless supply of pointless quips with which to annoy them when he wanted to. 

Carrying his coffee mug to the table and sitting down to wait for the eggs that were almost ready, Omi thought for a moment then asked, "Which one of you may I thank for getting me onto the couch to sleep last night?"

"What're you talking about, Omi?" Ken asked, sliding a plate of eggs in front of the boy before sitting down beside him with his own steaming dish.

Yohji glanced up with a confused expression on his face and remarked, "Is that where you were? I saw your bedroom door was open and since the bed hadn't been slept in, I assumed you'd gone out late last night and got lucky."

"Yohji-kun!!" Omi blushed deeply, shaking his head in negation even as a corner of his mind mentioned helpfully that he *had* spent a lot of time online with Nagi and he'd felt lucky about that yet knew full well what the former playboy was insinuating. "I think I fell asleep while I was working on the computer last night, but when I woke up this morning, I was on the couch with a warm blanket on top of me. It was so nice, I assumed one of you two did that for me."

Yohji shrugged his shoulders then remarked, "No, we were a little too, um, *busy* last night for that sort of thing, Omi. It must have been Aya."

"Ha!" Ken chortled, "That would be a sight to see! Fujimiya Aya showing some simple human kindness? Never happen!"

"Ken-kun," Omi chided, "that's not a very nice thing to say! However, putting me to bed that way doesn't exactly sound like something he would do to me either. Maybe I made it over there myself and just don't remember it."

Yohji nodded thoughtfully, "I'd assume so, yes. That's the most logical conclusion at least."

"What's the 'most logical conclusion'?" A new voice asked as a weary swordsman walked into the room, glaring murderously at the almost empty coffeepot as he pulled out a mug and poured the last of the coffee into it before taking a deep swallow of badly needed caffeine.

"Aya-kun! Good morning!" Omi chirped too cheerfully and caused the redhead to wince slightly as he set a fresh pot of coffee on to brew.

Aya ignored Omi's greeting, so Ken stuck his tongue out at the man's back angrily, feeling vindicated for his earlier unkind remarks even as he answered the question, "Omi woke up on the couch in the basement this morning. He had a blanket on him and everything and he was wondering who tucked him in down there. Since it wasn't me or Yohji, we figured he had done it himself. *That's* what the 'most logical conclusion' was." 

"Hn," the field leader of Weiss grunted, focusing on his half-empty mug of coffee, relieved that no one even asked him if he did it.

//At least this way I don't have to lie about it.//

Aya briefly considered why he'd automatically chosen deception if he'd been questioned, but before he got very far with that thought, another came to mind.

//Wait a minute. They never even considered it possible that I did it in the first place? Am I really that much of an asshole that they'd assume I'd be incapable of helping Omi that way? It hurts to know they think so little of me, but why? I encourage that whole "icy Aya" reputation I try to maintain and now that it seems to have worked so well, I find that it makes me uncomfortable? What kind of idiot *am* I?!//

Deciding he didn't know his own mind, Aya sat with his arms crossed glaring at the coffeepot as it slowly produced the dark beverage his exhausted body craved. The violet-eyed man startled a bit when he felt a warm hand on his shoulder and he looked up to find Omi standing near him with a worried expression on his usually genki face.

"Aya-kun? Are you all right?" The young blond asked, gazing at him with a frown of concern furrowing his ordinarily smooth brow.

"Me?" Aya gazed back dazedly and then yawned before responding, "I'm fine, Omi. Why?" 

"Well," the teenager's frown deepened, "your eyes are all red and you look really tired. Did you have trouble sleeping again last night?" The scarlet-haired man had an on-and-off case of insomnia no Kritiker physician had ever been able to explain and Omi wisely feared it might interfere with his teammate's health as well as his ability to help them destroy Glocksten and Charon.

The automatic urge to tell Omi to mind his own business was easily averted due to Aya's own internal confusion and the scarlet-haired man nodded a little as he admitted, "I'm afraid so, but don't worry about it. I'll be able to sleep again after we get this mission out of the way."

"Oh, all right," Omi wasn't convinced and neither were the two men who were simply watching silently, as concerned as the youngest member of the team was since they had seen the tragic side effects of Aya going into battle in a sleep-deprived condition.

During a mission that had been delayed by bad weather and therefore had lingered far too long at the forefront of Abyssinian's mind, an exhausted Aya had badly misjudged one of his trademark leaps and had become injured. The drop from the rooftop of a warehouse that had given his katana strike sufficient force to slice an enemy almost in two had ended with the sickening crunch of bones that were not those of the target breaking. 

Collapsed in an agonized heap, Aya had discovered to his horror that he'd broken his ankle and eventually he'd found himself encumbered with a cast for too many long weeks and therefore unable to perform in either of his capacities. Since that night, the other florist/assassins were more than aware of the risks an extended mission posed to him and they worked together to avoid such an unfortunate outcome from repeating itself without Aya ever even being aware of it. 

Unable to offer a solution to the problem of locating their prey any faster than he was already proceeding, the Weiss tactician changed the subject and asked his weary, violet-eyed friend, "Weren't you going to go see Aya-chan this afternoon? I'll be working in the shop after school with Ken-kun, so you can still do that, right?"

"That was what I had planned," Aya said before yawning again tiredly. "Ken's on all day, I've got morning shift, and you'll replace me when you get home. Yohji has the day off." 

The usually observant swordsman had completely missed the fact that if Yohji *was* planning to have the day off, then what was he doing in the kitchen so early? Despite forsaking some of the less savory habits from his carefree, womanizing days, the lanky blond still enjoyed lazing in bed whenever possible. Granted, Yohji had been planning to do something entirely different that day, but waxing his car could wait and his exhausted teammate's need for sleep couldn't.

"Actually," Yohji interrupted, "I wanted to ask you something about that, Aya. I was thinking I'd work an extra shift today to make up for the one I missed two weeks ago when I had a flat tire."

Ken and Omi both glanced at the eldest member of Weiss curiously. The incident in question had already been compensated for, why was he offering again now?

Yawning again and missing the silent conversation going on around him, Aya agreed, "Sure, Yohji. Why not help pick up the slack around eleven? I almost forgot I need to leave early to get those arrangements to the shrine."

"No, that won't do at all, Aya," Yohji answered shaking his head and rising to his feet before pulling Aya's chair away from the table and thereby forcing Omi to take a step back. "Instead, I think that *I'll* help Kenken open the shop in an hour and *you'll* go back to bed now. You can get up later and do the delivery, then go see your sister."

"Now wait one damned minute," Aya began angrily even as Ken smirked and confiscated his coffee mug in an effort to assist his lover in performing the spontaneous act of compassion.

"I think that's a great idea, Yohji-kun!" Omi chimed in brightly, tugging on Aya's hand, urging him to stand so that he could go upstairs and hopefully get some sleep. "C'mon, Aya-kun, you need to rest more. Let's go!"

"Omi? Not you, too?" Confused amethyst eyes turned towards caring cerulean ones and in that moment Aya knew he'd lost the battle. "I don't really have any choice here, do I?"

"Nope," Ken remarked pulling out the thermal carafe that would keep Aya's newly ready coffee hot and fresh for later. "Face it, Aya, if you can't remember that Yohji already squared it for the time he lost because of that flat tire, you're in no shape to run the shop with me this morning."

Aya opened his mouth to complain even as Yohji pointed out, "What would we do if we get a firing solution worked out for Glocksten and Charon, but you're so tired you can't see straight? I won't risk losing a chance to avenge my friends because of your insomnia." A warm smile crossed the taller man's lips as he added more kindly, "Besides, you've opened the shop every morning this week, Aya. Go get some rest and let me be the responsible one for a change."

Shaking his head in amazement and not even pausing to consider whether or not the lithe blond had a hidden agenda, Aya answered, "You think you can *do* that, Kudou? Really?"

Yohji chuckled and nodded, "Hell yeah! If *you* can do it, how hard can it be? All teasing aside, though, you've got about ten seconds to get your skinny ass back upstairs under your own power or I'll be forced to carry you there myself."

"You wouldn't dare!" Shocked violet eyes went impossibly wide as Aya realized the truth.

"Oh, yes, I would," Yohji approached, danger glinting in his jade eyes. "You're down to five seconds, Fujimiya, what's your decision?"

"I've decided that you're all insane this morning!" Aya almost smiled then walked away from his teammates, calling back, "I won't forget this little mutiny of yours, Balinese!"

With arms crossed and a self-satisfied smirk painted across his face, Yohji answered, "Neither will we, Abyssinian." He smiled at the two other florist/assassins and then said firmly, "Now, for my first act as the designated responsible adult of the group, I believe I will remind Omi that he needs to leave for school. And then I will remind Kenken that he needs a shower and that I will meet him for one in, oh, say, five minutes?"

Omi had been grinning and gathering his backpack until the final remark which brought back the fierce blush from earlier that morning as he whined, "Yohji-kun! I thought you agreed! No sex in the kitchen!"

"Yeah? So?" Verdant eyes twinkled as he added, "That's sex in the bathroom, not the kitchen, Omiitchi. Now, go to school like a good boy and be back in time to work your shift, all right?"

Giggling a little Omi nodded and answered as he walked to the back door, "Yes, dad!" Then ducked as the same slice of toast that Ken had thrown at Yohji earlier whistled past his own head to land outside in the alley.

*****

To be continued.

Please be advised: Parts 14 - 16 will be posted together.

Originally posted: 26 November 2002 ~1:45am EST

Revised chapter posted: 17 March 2003 ~2:15am EST


	16. Subtle Changes at the Koneko ::rev::

****

Title: Neutral Territory [part 16/?]

Author: Enigma

Written: begun October, 2001 

Rating: R 

Pairings: (Omi + Nagi) (Yohji + Ken) (Brad + Schu) 

Category: Shonen ai/Yaoi Angst Friendship Romance Action Violence. AU-OOC. Giftfic.

Archive: fanfiction.net & mediaminer.org [author: "E-sama the Llama"] plus Wuffie.net [author: "Enigma"]

Warnings: shonen ai/yaoi, angst, masculine friendship in many forms, various levels of romance, action, coarse language, whiffs of citrus but nothing detailed, possibly graphic violence, bloodshed, tiny bits of humor, fluff, and sap; more warnings will be added as necessary. AU-OOC. Giftfic for Rubious.

Spoilers: Aya's sister's condition and a few other small things, nothing major.

Disclaimer: "Weiss Kreuz" is the property of Koyasu Takehito and Project Weiss. All original characters featured herein (including but not limited to: Glocksten, Charon, etc.) are © Enigma, 2003, and are not to be used without permission. This unauthorized work of fanfiction is intended for entertainment only; kindly do not sue me.

Notes: Omi's first trip to the public library results in an unexpected meeting when Nagi saves his life without being aware of the Weiss archer's identity. Can two lonely teens overcome the limits of their dark purpose in life to find friendship and possibly love in the midst of "neutral territory"? 

//thoughts// 

{{mental speech}}

*****

Thursday late morning. The flower shop.

*****

Despite the unusual beginning of the day, things returned to normal at the Koneko before too awfully long.

Fresh shipments of flowers had arrived early in the morning, keeping Yohji and Ken busy clipping stems and getting them into water before they became dried out any worse than they already were. Late morning found a slightly more well-rested Aya rejoining his coworkers to make good on his promise to deliver the floral arrangements for the shrine luncheon. 

The redhead stood and frowned at the collection of delivery boxes that almost overflowed the work table, his facile mind calculating how many trips it might take with the scooter to deliver them all when he was suddenly interrupted by the feeling of something tickling the back of his neck. 

"What the hell?!" Aya batted a hand at what he assumed was an insect and encountered cool, sharp-edged steel instead. Battle-honed reflexes would ordinarily have caused him to drop into a crouch as his body readied itself for combat, but the familiar jingling sound that immediately followed his contact with the metal ended that line of thought.

"What?" Yohji smirked as angry violet eyes glared pure death at his outstretched hand, car keys dangling from it at the same height as the neckline of Aya's pale gold, lace-up shirt. "You don't *want* to borrow my roadster to get these over to the shrine? I'm crushed!"

"Give me a break, you goddamned idiot!" The enraged man snatched the keys away almost violently.

"I was trying to do just that," the lanky blond responded sincerely, a small pout threatening to take control of his sensual lips. 

Yohji's expression of hurt combined with his ongoing fuzziness due to sleep-deprivation caused Aya to feel an uncharacteristic wave of remorse. Before he could think it through, he actually offered a terribly rare apology, saying, "Sorry, Yohji, but it felt like a knife at first." Running a hand over amethyst eyes which hadn't gotten nearly enough sleep to ease away the redness in them, he commented, "I'm surprised I didn't react worse than I did."

"Oh, shit, it *did*? Gods, you're right! I *am* an idiot!" Emerald eyes reflected the honest shock Yohji was experiencing. He'd only been trying to trick the usually aloof man into some small response, but he hadn't considered that the edge of a car key might indeed feel like that of a blade. Chagrinned, he added, "I'm really sorry about that, Aya. Tell you what, let me make it up to you, okay? Why don't you take my car for the deliveries and keep it for the afternoon? That way you can drive to the hospital to see Aya-chan and then go goof off for awhile?"

"Well, I don't think I'll 'goof off' any, but I will accept the offer to use your car," Aya was actually trying to sound friendlier than usual, the hurt and remorseful look on Yohji's face had effected him more than he'd expected it would. There was something disconcerting that he couldn't quite put his finger on about his own reactions, yet a quick thought of how the brunette who was too busy helping a customer to have observed the exchange might handle the situation helped Aya immensely. 

//What would Ken do if he screwed up like this? I overreacted to that stupid joke more than I should have.//

The automatic answers involving seduction were never even entertained, Aya actually was almost asexual at times. Then again, he was also having an increasingly difficult time staying focused due not only to lack of rest but also to his sadly deficient philosophy towards life which was costing him far more than he even knew. Luckily, thoughts of his chocolate-eyed friend's healthier approach to living brought him an answer that he could use. 

//I know -- food! Whenever Ken needs to say he's sorry for something or he wants to celebrate, he gets everybody something to eat. I think I'll give that a try.//

"How about I pick up something for dinner on the way back?" Scarlet earlocks wafted about Aya's pale face as he pulled out his wallet to see if he could make good on the offer before it went much further, then nodded when he confirmed that he had enough.

Yohji rewarded him with a smile that shattered any remaining worry over apologies as he answered, "That'd be great, Aya! How about pizza?"

"All right," Aya responded with his usual composure once more in place, then glanced over at the work table before asking, "Can you give me a hand getting these to the car?"

"No problem," Yohji turned and called out, "Kenken, I need to go load these in the roadster with Aya. Got everything covered here?"

Ken glanced back and smiled brightly, "No sweat, Yohji. Take your time!"

Yohji grunted softly in reply before he and Aya went to work, carefully relocating the flowers that the redhead had worked so late on the night before. Soon, only Ken and Yohji were left to take care of things in the shop and it was peaceful for a few hours. 

*****

Thursday late afternoon. The Koneko no Sumu Ie.

*****

The end of the school day brought not only the return of the fourth florist/assassin to the Koneko but a flood of excited fangirls as well. While the three eldest members of Weiss were quite pleasant to look at and be around, it was the youngest that the adolescent females enjoyed interacting with the most.

Omi laughed and chatted with the girls as he checked through the new stock, complimenting Ken on the way the former soccer player had integrated the older flowers into a new presentation giving the entire display a quality of newness. "This must've taken a lot of work, Ken-kun!" He enthused brightly, "It looks fabulous!"

Ken felt a little embarrassed as the comments brought him a wave of fangirls of his own who all wanted to coo over his efforts and how lovely they thought the flowers were despite them not being as lovely as the bishounen were themselves. Flushing slightly, the former athlete silently begged his lover for aid and within moments, Yohji had swept in and convinced the girls that they all wanted to go with him to see the new burgundy and gold mum plants on the front sidewalk.

"Ah, *that's* a relief!" Ken sighed and leaned against the work table for a moment, smiling at Omi who was happily creating a tiny bouquet as a gift for one of the fuku-clad schoolgirls after discovering that it was her birthday. "What's got you so happy today, Omi?"

"Hmm?" Cerulean orbs peered up at mocha ones as he answered, "I'm sorry, Ken-kun. Did you say something?"

"Yeah, just wondering why you were at 'genki-maximum' today," Ken teased gently.

"Ken-kun!" Right on schedule, the younger teen blushed. "You're teasing me again! Stop that! Besides, I'm just thinking about how much fun I've been having lately with my new friend. That's all." He shrugged a bit as if the careless motion might contradict the delighted look on his face as he barely avoided mentioning that it was Nagi who had brought him such happiness.

"Oh? Really?" The older teen asked, then added, "And does this person have a name?"

Omi forced a happy sigh while fighting back an urge to cringe as he quickly thought of a way to handle the situation without giving anything away. Realizing that using Nagi's online nickname would be both honest *and* protective of the Schwarz psychic's identity, he admitted shyly, "My friend's name is Xavier. We've got a lot of things in common and when we went to the park yesterday, we had the *best* time!" 

Warming as he focused on the topic even more, a broad smile blossomed on his face as the blond continued to gush happily, "Oh, and it turns out that he likes to use the internet even more than I do and I've never met anyone like *that* before. And he likes anime plus computer games and everything!" The sigh that left his lips then was completely honest as he concluded, "It's wonderful to finally have someone to talk to about stuff like that, you know?"

"Sounds great," Ken remarked quietly. Then, with a knowing smile on his lips, he inquired, "So, Omi, you've got a crush on the guy, haven't you?"

"Nani?!?" Omi gasped, shocked to feel the blood rush to his cheeks so fast that he knew he would never be able to conceal the truth as he hissed, "Ken-kun! What do you mean? I do *not* have a crush on him!"

"Oh yes, you do," the former goalie laughed gently and then reassured, "But it's okay, Omi, really it is. It's kind of sweet to think of you having a little boyfriend of your own."

If Omi had expected any surprised reactions from Ken that his sexual preferences aligned with those of the two lovers on the team, he would have been sorely disappointed. It wasn't that Omi was "too pretty to be straight" or even that he behaved effeminately since he didn't, but rather it was a more fundamental appreciation people develop for those who hold each other's lives in their hands on a routine basis. Hours of infiltration assignments where staying awake was critical to survival had allowed Ken and Omi to have become amazingly close and this revelation had been anticipated for quite some time.

Omi glanced down at the flowers he'd almost forgotten that he was holding even as he contradicted quietly, "Xavier's not my boyfriend, Ken-kun. We're just friend-friends, that's all."

"Perhaps," Ken commented neither agreeing nor disagreeing, "but you've been thinking about him a lot lately, haven't you?"

"Well, yes…" the younger teen's voice trailed off in a wistful sigh.

"And you're thinking it might be nice if he *was* your boyfriend, right?" the older boy asked gently, hoping to nudge Omi enough to consider what his heart already wanted a little more fully. 

"Maybe I am, I'm not sure," Omi lied unconvincingly.

Ken chuckled and patted Omi on the shoulder as he stated flatly, "Well, *I'm* completely sure, Omi! I think it's nice you've found someone special and I wish you and your Xavier all the luck in the world."

Omi beamed at him and nodded, "Thanks! But, uh," he bit at his lip nervously, "could you not mention this to anyone? I mean, it might not work out and all."

"Sure thing," Ken answered only half-regretting that he couldn't tell his lover about it in bed later. The two of them had a running discussion regarding what way love might find a place in the youngest Weiss member's heart, yet he knew that if a person's first crush ended badly, it was best if very few people knew about it.

A sigh of relief left Omi's lips and then he glanced at the noisy crowd coming back inside the shop, giggling girls following Yohji like rats trailing behind the Pied Piper. "Um, I'd best hurry to finish my gift, Ken-kun. I'm glad we got to talk though, I feel better now."

"Good, I'm glad, too," Ken smiled warmly at him before going to offer his lover some relief from the twittering girls. 

Before long, Omi was once more chatting with the young customers and having fun as the birthday girl became flustered upon receiving her small yet personal bouquet from the most popular of the florist/assassins.

Ken and Yohji tried to finish some of remaining work that needed to be done before closing up shop for the night but were finding it difficult to complete their tasks with so many fangirls present. The taller of the two lovers laughed at one point since it was almost too bad that Aya wasn't there to give his traditional "Buy something or get out!" speech, and the shorter one chuckled and agreed, yet neither tried to force the throng to disperse. 

Eventually the sun began to set and the girls reluctantly went home for their suppers and the three tired bishounen were faced with the task of sweeping up the mess left behind before they could close the shop for the night. 

"I'm tired!" Ken complained as he rolled down the metal gate, sealing off the warm interior of the shop from the cooling air of evening.

"So am I," Yohji complained, stretching long arms over his head and wincing as his back popped noisily. "Ouch! I feel like I need to soak in a hot bath for awhile."

Omi failed to stifle a giggle before he commented, "Poor Yohji-kun! Are you getting old?"

"Very funny," the taller blond responded then sought a bit of vengeance by mussing the shorter one's hair. "What's it to you, kiddo? To a baby like you, of course I'm old! That's the balance of nature at work."

"I am *not* a baby!" Omi mock-pouted on cue, both of them enjoying the comforting routine of their verbal game.

"Yes, you are," Ken inserted smoothly, deliberately ending the playful moment. "You're *both* babies! Now, however, I wish to remind you that Aya's supposed to be back with pizza before too awfully long and I for one don't plan to still be out here counting receipts while my share gets cold! Let's get this wrapped up, okay?"

"Hmm," Yohji frowned at his lover, "I thought *I* was the designated responsible adult for the day, Kenken."

"That was just for this morning, Yohji," Ken smiled and patted the taller man on the face, "But I took the title while you were out having one too many cigarette breaks this afternoon. Can we at least *try* to get everything done so we can eat? Please?"

"Sure thing, Ken-kun," Omi offered, settling down with the stack of paper and a calculator, finishing the accounting quickly as the other two took care of the other work that was needed to leave everything ready for business on Friday.

As the sun sank behind the horizon, things were comfortably quiet once more. 

For a change, there was no sense of foreboding, no dark thoughts or worries, and no concerns that things might go wrong for any of the men who worked together by both day and night. There would be time enough for that before the week was over, though, and whatever strength they could build before they confronted Glocksten and Charon would be put to the test then.

*****

To be continued.

[Posting Run Dedication] This evening's performance of "Neutral Territory" is hereby dedicated to a new friend who has brought many a smile to my lips recently, the ever so wonderful Kaze! This kind soul has taken the time to write to me after each posting run and let me know what they enjoyed most, their thoughts on the tale as it unfolds, and has even given the creation of a Weiss threesome a nod of approval. I hope Kaze will enjoy this evening's extended program and will accept my humble thanks for all the delicious ambrosia for my muses! 

Please be advised: Parts 14 - 16 will be posted together.

Originally posted: 26 November 2002 ~1:45am EST

Revised chapter posted: 17 March 2003 ~2:15am EST


	17. An Afternoon with Schwarz ::rev::

[original intro-note from 05 December 2002, the night before a major ice storm that paralyzed central North Carolina and plunged the Casa de Llama into frozen powerlessness due to the electricity being out for way too long]

Welcome to the Angst Theatre's ongoing performance of "Neutral Territory". 

{can't bring himself to do the whole "dress like a bishounen" schtick tonight and merely tells you what is to come}

Tonight's posting run opens with an afternoon at the Schwarz penthouse which includes Crawford being worried, Schuldich being supportive, Farfarello being strange, and Nagi being distracted. In chapter 18, the men of Weiss eat dinner and a single word spoken without thinking sets in motion some fairly significant changes that will begin to unfold almost immediately.

{shrugs, this isn't much of a playbill, but it's the best he can do at the moment then adds}

Thanks for supportive comments about the recent three chapter posting run go to the following dedicated friends at fanfiction.net: Priscilla (whose wonderful reviews gave me the energy to get more out despite being still stuck in the doldrums), Sayiera, Kyra, Porcelain Dragon, Toto Bombay the Ice Princesse, Akasha, Carter Tachikawa, Weisshund, and finally Black Silk Dream (whose correction has been made). Thanks also go to those who commented privately or on-list, and this includes: Francine, Kaze (who liked her dedication), Wataruo, Yanagi-sen, Rubious, and Ryoko. By the way, I've not gotten my thank you notes out for those on the second list *or* read my MLs in awhile due to depression making me too dark, but I'll get to them as soon as I can. I'm sorry for the delay.

Please continue to support my muses, they're having a tough time of it lately.

Enjoy the Midlevel Angst!

~~~Enigma~~~

(who notes there's a nasty winter storm headed his way tomorrow. oh joy. {sighs then runs the fic hoping for the best yet bracing for the worst} )

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

****

Title: Neutral Territory [part 17/?]

Author: Enigma

Written: begun October, 2001 

Rating: R 

Pairings: (Omi + Nagi) (Yohji + Ken) (Brad + Schu) 

Category: Shonen ai/Yaoi Angst Friendship Romance Action Violence. AU-OOC. Giftfic.

Archive: fanfiction.net & mediaminer.org [author: "E-sama the Llama"] plus Wuffie.net [author: "Enigma"]

Warnings: shonen ai/yaoi, angst, masculine friendship in many forms, various levels of romance, action, coarse language, whiffs of citrus but nothing detailed, possibly graphic violence, bloodshed, tiny bits of humor, fluff, and sap; more warnings will be added as necessary. AU-OOC. Giftfic for Rubious.

Spoilers: Aya's sister's condition and a few other small things, nothing major.

Disclaimer: "Weiss Kreuz" is the property of Koyasu Takehito and Project Weiss. All original characters featured herein (including but not limited to: Glocksten, Charon, etc.) are © Enigma, 2003, and are not to be used without permission. This unauthorized work of fanfiction is intended for entertainment only; kindly do not sue me.

Notes: Omi's first trip to the public library results in an unexpected meeting when Nagi saves his life without being aware of the Weiss archer's identity. Can two lonely teens overcome the limits of their dark purpose in life to find friendship and possibly love in the midst of "neutral territory"? 

//thoughts// 

{{mental speech}}

*****

Thursday late afternoon. Brad's office and the living room of the Schwarz penthouse.

*****

Thursday afternoon at the Schwarz penthouse was far less jovial than it was at the Koneko, but that was perfectly normal. 

After discovering Farfarello had developed a taste for yet another strange television show that he wanted nothing to do with, Schuldich had wandered off in search of Crawford, hoping to harass the man and create a bit of fun for himself at the same time. Standing in the open doorway of the precognitive's office, however, the German paused, puzzled by the American's somber expression.

The tall leader of Schwarz was hunched over his desk, elbows resting on top of a stack of important documents that he should have been working on, his lips resting against steepled index fingers, obviously lost in thought with his eyes closed as if in pain. The scene reminded Schuldich of the character Spock from the ancient television show "Star Trek" that Farfarello enjoyed watching in Russian since he claimed it was "closer to the original Klingon", whatever the hell that was supposed to mean. 

//He looks worried about something. Has he had another premonition that he can't make sense of? I know that always gets on his nerves. Maybe I can cheer him up by giving him grief.// 

"Oh mighty lea~der, I'm bo~ored!!" Schuldich sing-songed merrily, something that affected Crawford like nails on a chalkboard under normal circumstances, yet it received not so much as a death glare of acknowledgement. He added to the annoyance factor by deliberately whining like a spoiled child, "Can I go play with some morons' heads and cause a traffic accident just for fun, Craw-daddy?" 

There was no response whatsoever. 

The German's verdant gaze flickered across the surface of his lover's desk seeking an explanation of the raven-haired man's strange withdrawal within its contents. There were the usual assorted household bills to be paid to keep their lives in order as well as a few documents their Estet commanders would be furious to know were left in full view. Nothing so far seemed worthy of Crawford's distracted state and a set of photos of an effeminate man with flowing, golden-brown hair and hazel eyes who Schuldich didn't recognize didn't change things either. There was something vaguely disturbing about one of them that included a heavyset Japanese man whose obsidian eyes bespoke an utter lack of conscience yet this still wasn't sufficient evidence for him to assume there wasn't something seriously amiss.

Becoming deeply concerned, the telepath took a substantial risk and broke the rules pertaining to their "bedroom relationship". In a gentle, hopefully supportive tone, he sent, {{Brad? Something the matter, babe?}} 

Weary mahogany-hued eyes opened slowly as Crawford nodded, then turned to look at Schuldich, late afternoon sunlight glinting off of his wire-rimmed glasses as he replied, {{I'm worried about Nagi's health, Schu.}}

{{Oh?}} The redhead entered the room fully and stood gazing at his lover as he asked, {{Why? Did something happen to him?}}

Jet black hair shifted slightly as Crawford shook his head while explaining, {{When I went to check on him last night after we got in from that meeting, his face was flushed and he might've had a fever. I was going to make sure he checked his temperature this morning, but I didn't have a chance to. Would you mind keeping an eye on Farfarello for me so I can go see how he's doing now?}}

Schuldich's face contorted into his usual devil-may-care smirk, a stunning contradiction to the tenderness with which he replied, {{No problem, babe. If Nagikins isn't feeling good, I'll help as much as I can like always, you know that.}}

A warmth flowed over their connection that was the mental equivalent of a kiss as the American answered, {{Thank you, love. Let's hope that won't be necessary.}}

The intimate silent conversation was ending anyway, so neither man was too annoyed when their Irish teammate popped his head around the corner and commented confidently, "Now *this* room needs to be redecorated!" Gazing at the stark black and white interior that Crawford preferred which was indeed quite boring and way too late twentieth century to be fashionable, he added with manic certainty, "I think it would look much better painted purple and highlighted with green trim!"

Unable to stop himself, Schuldich turned and demanded, "What the *fuck* are you talking about, Farf?! That was random even for you!" He strode towards the silver-haired man with an intention of getting them both out of the way so Crawford could attend to Nagi. 

"I'm watching 'Trading Spaces', Schuldich!" the sometime-psychopath grinned, a hint of clever mischief in his lone amber eye as they entered the living room where the television offered an advertisement for some decidedly feminine item neither man cared about. "Come see for yourself! You'll just *love* the handyman on there!" [1] 

"Oh?" Moderate interest filled jade eyes as the German asked, "They've got a real hunk on there, huh? Wait, is this one of your tricks like when you convinced me that Emeril's 'Essence' was really that licorice powder and I put it on my steak?"

Farfarello frowned at him, then responded, "Idiot, that wasn't 'licorice powder', it was crushed anise and I liked it just fine! And, no, this isn't a trick! The guy on this show *is* delicious! He's got a portable band saw that I would *love* to have!" Gruesome images filled his mind as to the level of carnage he could create with such a thing and it brought the smile right back to lips scarred by too many intimate moments with his favorite blades. The taste of cold steel was so comforting at times.

Schuldich groaned, "Ugh! This is just part of your hardware fetish, isn't it, Farf? Damn it, I wish I'd never let you get hooked on Bob Villa!" Realizing his friend was not taking this as lightly as he'd thought, the German finally shook his head fondly and waved one hand towards the television saying, "Oh well. Never mind, Farfster. Show me this great new program you've found, all right?"

"Only if you promise not to steal the beetshake that I just whipped up," Farfarello replied. Changing his mind with mercurial speed, he retrieved the glass he'd placed near the couch and offered it to his friend saying, "But you can have a little taste if you want to."

"Um, don't you mean 'milkshake', Farf?" Schuldich asked in confusion, peering at the lovely pink beverage and assuming it would taste of strawberries as he prepared to take a sip.

The single golden eye rolled in annoyance as the nineteen year old answered, "Don't you think I know what I put in my own blender, Schu? Give me a little more credit than *that*!"

Full lips parted sensually at the rim of the glass, the German froze as he wondered why he'd nearly made such a serious error and then handed the glass back unsampled, saying, "On second thought, why don't you enjoy it yourself?"

The Irishman shrugged, "Okay, all the more for me! Oh, look! It's back on!" He turned his full attention towards the TLC-network program that featured people being allowed to totally trash the homes of overly trusting neighbors and was soon absorbed in the melodrama as it played out before him.

At times like these, Schuldich was delighted that Estet provided them with virtually unlimited global television access. The German telepath knew it was supposedly so that Schwarz could stay abreast of the news in foreign countries in case their unique talents were needed elsewhere, but he much preferred the amusement to be had by following the trashy American specialty stations.

Surprisingly, Farfarello had become addicted to the Food Network based in New York City and that was a major plus in and of itself since it usually kept him interested in something other than random bloodletting between assignments. It had also, unfortunately, been the inspiration for the frightening "beetshake". 

The Irishman had been watching an eclectic show called "The Best of" one afternoon that had featured various US and Canadian juice bars and their industrial strength blenders. [2] The machinery alone caught Farfarello's attention, but when he watched an aging self-proclaimed "hippy-chick" shove an entire bunch of raw beets into one of them an idea had implanted itself in his mind and he'd tested it that afternoon. As one might suspect, the kitchen counters of the Schwarz penthouse were stained a lovely mauve at this point, but Schuldich didn't want to desert his post to check on them. 

Eventually the German relaxed and ignored the odd-ball show, glad that he could help Crawford put his mind to rest regarding their unpredictable Irish comrade even as Schuldich tried not to worry over their delicate Japanese teammate's possible ill health.

*****

Thursday late afternoon. Nagi's bedroom.

*****

Nagi was sitting at his computer halfheartedly playing an online action/adventure game when Crawford's deep voice interrupted him from the open doorway, asking simply, "Did you ever check your temperature, Naoe?" 

Startled deep blue eyes turned towards the imposing figure and Nagi shook his head slightly, "No, I forgot all about it, Crawford. I'll go get a thermometer if you'd like." 

Normally, the diminutive telekinetic would've been suspicious of the leader of Schwarz for acting this way, but his thoughts were flitting around inside the fantasy floral shop his imagination had concocted to give him a place to imagine Omi working in. His distracted behavior was hidden by a sudden crashing noise from his computer speakers as a funeral dirge played loudly to signal the death of the character he'd been playing in the game. 

As Nagi twisted his seat back towards the computer to put the forgotten game on hold, Crawford had walked into the room and approached him, remarking, "No need, let me see if it's even warranted before you bother." He placed a cool palm against Nagi's forehead briefly then stated flatly, "You're fine." 

Crawford almost added an inquiry pertaining to the as yet unexplained vision about Nagi being agitated while uncharacteristically outside during broad daylight, but thought better of it and then simply walked away without further comment. He was discovering the hard way that granting the midnight-eyed youth the trust Nagi had asked for was more difficult than he'd ever imagined it might be.

Baffled by the fact that this was the second time he'd let the man touch him so casually, Nagi sat for awhile simply contemplating the strange situation. 

//Since when does Crawford give a damn about my health anyway? He said we've got a job coming up this weekend that he apparently thinks I need to participate in, but that doesn't usually get him all touchy-feelly like this.//

Frowning as he suddenly realized that the sun had set and his room was now lit only by the light from his computer screen, Nagi flicked on the light above his workstation and then continued to contemplate the strange situation.

//I wonder if Brad's had a vision about something possibly happening to me and he's trying to see if it came true or not. Or maybe he's just trying to drive me nuts wondering what he's doing. If that's the case, he's succeeding too well!//

Huffing slightly, Nagi got ready to climb to his feet so he could go and confront the American when a soft chime caught his attention. He glanced at the screen and saw a flashing icon that indicated he had received an instant message and did he wish to reply. A hopeful smile crossed his lips as he indicated he would accept it and a window popped open that read:

****

Williamtell: Hey, X! Got a sec? (smile)

Grinning openly as he completely forgot his concerns about Crawford, Nagi hurried to sit back down and sent in reply:

****

ProfX: Good evening, Will! Yes, for you, I _always_ have a "sec"! (big grin)

****

Williamtell: (blushing) Really?!? You do?!? (blushing even more) I'm flattered! 

****

ProfX: (frowning as if he's annoyed that you dare to question the all-powerful leader of the X-Men, then giggling since you aren't a member of the RPG) I'm only saying what I think, Will. What's going on? How was work?

****

Williamtell: (groaning since flowers weigh more than they look) Work was kinda tough today, actually. We got a bunch of autumn plants in that had to be moved around and watered and stuff. They look really nice now, though. Wish I could show you the display I made for them, I think you'd like it, but I know that I can't. (pouting)

****

ProfX: (whimpering apologetically) I'm so sorry, Will! You know I would like to see it if I could!

****

Williamtell: (feels stupid) I know, it just seems unfair. (changes subject) Anyway, I wanted to find out how your day went and stuff. I've only got a minute, Zorro -- you _know_ who I mean, right? (wink) -- called a minute ago and is on his way home with pizza and I'm starving!

****

ProfX: (winking in return) Oh, I've got a pretty good idea who you mean! Pizza, huh? Sounds good. I think it's just me and the microwave again tonight. The Yank was just in here and he didn't _say___ anything about him and the Jerry plus the Leprechaun going anywhere, but it seems likely.

****

Williamtell: (confused) Hold up! I caught the first and last references there (snickering at these) but how can "your" redhead be the one in the middle? "Jerry" who? Springer?

****

ProfX: (rolls eyes) Sorry, that's a reference from World War 2. The Germans were called "Jerry" by the allied forces, among worse names. (makes a face at stupid nicknames those same imbeciles used for Japanese forces then ignores them) Hence, you-know-who is "the Jerry", not "a Jerry". As for him being compared to Jerry Springer -- LOL!! Oh damn! That's funny, Will!!

****

Williamtell: (smirking and glad to make you laugh) Okay, that makes sense now. Bummer that you're not getting anything decent for dinner. Maybe you could order a pizza? (frowns suddenly) I'm sorry, but I gotta go! Pelé just yelled at me that Zorro's brought in the chow.

****

ProfX: (sad to see his friend go, but needs to know) "Pelé"? Which one's that? 

****

Williamtell: (smirk) Ex-soccer player. (uncertain if you knew that about him and adds) The one with brown hair that likes to shred badguys.

****

ProfX: (nods) Okies! Old slice-n-dice himself, ne? (smirk)

****

Williamtell: (giggling insanely) That's the one! I'd better get up to the kitchen before I miss out on the pizza, though. Will you be around later? Maybe we can chat while I do my homework? (hopeful smile)

****

ProfX: (nodding enthusiastically) You bet! Like I said, I'm usually here all night. (waves goodbye) Hope to see you later, Will!

****

Williamtell: (waves back equally enthusiastically) So me too, X!! (vanishes)

The soft electronic approximation of a Buddhist prayer bell ringing sounded from the computer speakers indicating that Omi had closed the instant message session from his end. Nagi quickly closed the window to protect it from prying eyes then sighed happily and stretched his arms over his head blissfully unaware of the fact that he was being watched. 

Schuldich hadn't seen much on the screen and wasn't even actively monitoring Nagi's surface thoughts, respecting his lover's previous request to stay out of the boy's mind as much as possible. However, he was more than perceptive enough to see the smile that literally glowed in the light of the computer monitor and that pleased the telepath deeply even if he never would've admitted that to the telekinetic. Schuldich rightly assumed that perhaps the usually lonely and aloof boy had finally found a kindred spirit who brought him some small measure of the happiness that the American had brought to himself. 

After taking a stealthy step backwards, the German then re-approached the entrance to the boy's room calling out, "Oh, Nagikins, dear! Old four-eyes said to come see if you wanted to go out to dinner with him, me, and Farfster. Want to?"

Blinking in surprise, Nagi responded, "What's the special occasion? You guys don't usually let me tag along."

"How should I know?" Schuldich responded insouciantly. "We're going to that American place he likes over at the Park Hyatt. [3] If you want to come, grab your jacket and get a move on. We leave in five minutes." 

In a flurry of red hair, the German was gone, pleased that he hadn't admitted they were going there specifically because they had great strawberry milkshakes *or* that their own kitchen smelled so strongly of beets that Crawford had proclaimed it inhuman to force Nagi to cook in it. 

Baffled, but glad he wasn't stuck with yet another tediously bland microwaved dinner, Nagi went to his closet and pulled out dress pants and a button-down shirt, changing quickly thanks to the judicious use of his paranormal powers. 

In Nagi's opinion, if Crawford was kind enough to invite him along, he'd wordlessly show some appreciation by putting on something nicer than the tedious gray school uniform he always wore without ever once saying he was glad to be included in the outing. After all, he was expected to be a sulky teenager and if he didn't play the part, the other members of Schwarz might get suspicious and want to find out why he was actually feeling happy for a change.

But it was too late for that. The cat, so to speak, was already out of the bag. It was only a matter of time until Schuldich did something with his knowledge, though, and what would occur because of it was anyone's guess at that point.

*****

To be continued.

Author's Notes:

[1] For those of you who know this quirky show, the handyman in question is--of course!--the wonderfully slashable Ty whose playful interactions with live-action bishounen designer Vern might inspire any number of smoldering pieces of fanfiction.

[2] The inspiration for the entire business with the "beetshake" was indeed an episode of "The Best of" that focused on trendy juice bars and all the weird things people made the thick concoctions from as well as the supplements added thereto. I was watching it with my kids and one of them pointed out that Farf would probably just *love* to get his hands on one of those powerful blenders and the rest is, as they say, history.

[3] This is a reference to the New York Grille at the Park Hyatt in Tokyo which several guidebooks claim has the best American food in Tokyo as well as a very fine bakery. I dare say Crawford would only want the best when he was hungry for a taste of home.

Please be advised: Parts 17 & 18 will be posted together.

Originally posted: 04 December 2002 ~2:15am EST

First revised version posted: 05 December 2002 ~1:40am EST

Second revised chapter posted: 19 March 2003 ~1:25am EST


	18. Minor Secrets Revealed ::rev::

****

Title: Neutral Territory [part 18/?]

Author: Enigma

Written: begun October, 2001 

Rating: R 

Pairings: (Omi + Nagi) (Yohji + Ken) (Brad + Schu) 

Category: Shonen ai/Yaoi Angst Friendship Romance Action Violence. AU-OOC. Giftfic.

Archive: fanfiction.net & mediaminer.org [author: "E-sama the Llama"] plus Wuffie.net [author: "Enigma"]

Warnings: shonen ai/yaoi, angst, masculine friendship in many forms, various levels of romance, action, coarse language, whiffs of citrus but nothing detailed, possibly graphic violence, bloodshed, tiny bits of humor, fluff, and sap; more warnings will be added as necessary. AU-OOC. Giftfic for Rubious.

Spoilers: Aya's sister's condition and a few other small things, nothing major.

Disclaimer: "Weiss Kreuz" is the property of Koyasu Takehito and Project Weiss. All original characters featured herein (including but not limited to: Glocksten, Charon, etc.) are © Enigma, 2003, and are not to be used without permission. This unauthorized work of fanfiction is intended for entertainment only; kindly do not sue me.

Notes: Omi's first trip to the public library results in an unexpected meeting when Nagi saves his life without being aware of the Weiss archer's identity. Can two lonely teens overcome the limits of their dark purpose in life to find friendship and possibly love in the midst of "neutral territory"? 

//thoughts// 

{{mental speech}}

*****

Thursday late evening. The flower shop's kitchen. 

*****

Over a stack of mostly empty pizza boxes, the members of Weiss discussed plans for tracking down the leader of a child prostitution/slavery ring and his murderous associate. 

"I finally got some good leads on Glocksten with my searches," Omi offered, reaching for the folder of results he'd brought up from the basement. He handed it to the team's field leader with a small frown as he added, "There's nothing definite on his immediate plans that I could track down, but what I *did* find is all there for you to use, Aya-kun."

"Good job," Aya commented distractedly, the rare compliment slipping out without his even being aware of it as he scanned the thick assortment of documents with a look of intense concentration. His lingering exhaustion hadn't faded whatsoever, yet the desire to eliminate the latest blights effecting the citizens of Japan was strong enough to help him keep going.

"How will we know where and when to try to nail them if we don't have a location yet?" Yohji asked. The slow rage he felt towards the cold-blooded killer who called himself Charon had been building through the course of the week and he was eager to get an opportunity to take direct action.

"Don't worry, Yohji, we'll figure something out," Ken soothed, well aware how on edge his lover had been due to the situation. "If Omi's done his usual excellent job researching this and Aya gets one of his flashes of intuition, we should be able to do something soon, right, Aya?"

"Hn," the violet-eyed man grunted affirmatively. Then he glanced up to look at his teammates one by one appraisingly as he stated, "I'll need at least a few hours to sort through all of this information, but I'd say we've got a good chance of setting up an assassination attempt over the weekend sometime."

The youngest person at the table frowned slightly and asked, "Do you think it could be as early as tomorrow evening, Aya-kun?"

The swordsman answered, "I doubt it, but no promises, Omi, you know that." He paused and as amethyst eyes narrowed, he added, "Why do you ask?"

Omi fidgeted a little, then forced himself to relax as he replied truthfully, "I was hoping to go to the movies with a friend. But it can wait if it needs to, the mission takes priority."

"Of course it does," Ken assured. With a small smirk, he then asked, "Is it Xavier that you're going to the movies with, Omi?"

A dreamy smile overtook the blue-eyed boy's face as he nodded, then a slight blush danced across his cheeks as Omi said in a rush, "Well, thanks for the pizza, Aya-kun! I need to go get started on my homework. I'll be in the basement if anyone needs me!" 

Practically running from the room, the archer disappeared and then Yohji asked his lover pointedly, "What was *that* all about, Kenken?"

Realizing he'd made an error, the former goaltender tried to dodge the question by asking suddenly, "Who wants the last slice of Hawaiian pizza?" The single piece of Canadian bacon and pineapple topped pizza wasn't even something he wanted, he just hoped to cover his mistake and failed.

"I do," Yohji responded without taking action on it then added in a serious tone, "but stop evading the question, Hidaka. You're hiding something."

Ken nodded glumly then admitted, "I promised not to tell anyone about the boy that he's got a crush on." Literally hanging his head, he added miserably, "Omi's going to be so angry with me later when he realizes I screwed up!"

"No, he won't," Yohji reassured. "You didn't 'tell' us anything but the kid's name. I know I figured it out for myself and I'd bet even Aya spotted it, ne, Abyssinian?"

"Of course I did. If Omi's found someone he's interested in, that's all well and good," Aya said unexpectedly, shocking the other two men in the room with not only the admission that he'd noticed that their young friend seemed to have become romantically involved with someone but also that he approved. Fighting back a sudden urge to yawn, he then echoed Omi's own comment from mere moments before as he added, "As long as the situation doesn't get in the way of our missions for Persia, it shouldn't be an issue." 

Ken glanced at Yohji with curiosity in his eyes and they both wondered if Aya was even more affected by the sleep deprivation than they'd believed earlier if he was in such a magnanimous and accepting mood. They were totally unaware of his full approval and then some of their own relationship since they incorrectly assumed he merely tolerated it as opposed to endorsing and wishing he could encourage it openly.

The two lovers silently conferred with one another as to how to gauge Aya's true level of fatigue, but before they could say anything else, the person in question suddenly stood and strode away, folder in hand and intending to seek the solutions they all needed. 

With a frustrated sigh, Ken leaned back in his chair and grumbled, "I swear! He's confusing the hell out of me, lately."

With a sigh of his own that was a mixture of his desire to understand the scarlet-haired man better and a feeling of regret that Aya was now the only one left in Weiss without someone special in their heart, Yohji replied, "I know what you mean, Ken." Shaking his head in growing discontent, he added, "I couldn't be happier for Omiitchi, of course, yet I can't help but wonder if Aya's going to spend the rest of *his* nights alone. I mean, fuck, what kind of a life is that, anyway?" 

The former playboy's words were tinted with a sadness that reflected his own misspent youth before he met the former soccer player who basically forced him to reassess his entire opinion of what romance was really all about. Yohji's journey of discovery that allowed him to realize making love could be so much more fulfilling than merely having sex ever could had been a rough one until Ken joined Weiss. 

The lanky blonde's "love 'em and leave 'em" attitude had brought him more dissatisfaction than anything else, yet it wasn't until the night that he and Ken became far more than friends or even teammates that he'd found someone he actually wanted to wake up next to in the morning. Granted, the former J-league player had his own dark past haunting him which had taken a great deal to put behind himself, but he never would have accepted Yohji as an intimate partner if he thought it might be a one-night stand.

Since that time, both men had grown closer together and the love that they shared was a simple, unquestioned reality which gave them a freedom and joy they'd never felt before. The question of whether or not that most glorious of gifts could be shared with yet another who also needed such things was something that had begun to echo almost undetectably within their hearts. But it would take a crisis of unprecedented proportions for them to break their silence about it to the person who most needed to know about it. What might come of that sharing, however, was extremely unpredictable as things stood now. Destiny wasn't letting any of them know what was to come.

After giving Yohji's remark about Aya due consideration, Ken finally shrugged and admitted, "Personally, I think it's got to be one of the most miserable ways to live that I've ever heard of, Yohji, but I've had enough of worrying over someone else's love life! I want to focus on my own for a change." Offering a smile that promised they'd discuss Aya's emotional situation more another day, he suggested, "Why don't you and I go out for awhile? I need a change of scenery."

"Sounds good to me." Emerald eyes twinkled a bit as Yohji added, "So, what'll it be, you sexy thing you? Dancing, drinking, a movie, or a love hotel?" He winked salaciously when he added the last option knowing they had neither the funds nor the need for one of Tokyo's opulent pleasure palaces. [1] 

Ken laughed and yanked the incorrigible tease in for a quick and intense kiss before shoving him back and looking at their work clothes with obvious distaste. "I vote that we put on something nicer than this and go dancing! I need to get some exercise and it's that or go hit the soccer field for awhile."

"Not with me, you won't!" Yohji snorted and pulled the slightly smaller man towards the stairs, "It's after dark and I've got no desire to watch you run around on an empty field where there are no cute girls to look at while you work up a sweat! No, dancing it will be! Now go get some decent clothes on before I'm forced to dress you myself!"

"'No cute girls', Yo-tan?" Ken snorted and laughed, heading for the stairs, "You *have* been stuck in the shop too long if you're thinking like that! C'mon, let's get out of here!"

"After you," Yohji smirked and followed his partner, knowing that the sensual and distracting process of "getting dressed" might take the two eager lovers an extra hour or so. But before too terribly long, they finally headed into the darkness to enjoy a Thursday night in Shinjuku like any other young couple might. 

*****

Thursday night. The Weiss operations center as well as Nagi's bedroom.

*****

At almost ten o'clock that night, the only people left at the Koneko were both in the basement. 

Forcing aside his tiredness, Aya sat and pored over the documents and surveillance photos he'd received at dinner hoping for that magical inspiration that would lead him to designate the best time and place to destroy their targets, yet finding none. Where was his muse of destruction anyway?

Omi was nervously working at the computer, his homework only half-done since he couldn't get started on it until after both work and dinner. He sighed and ran a hand through tangled blond bangs as he wondered for the hundredth time why Nagi wasn't online the way he'd said he always was in the evening and hoping everything was alright for the waif-thin teen. 

Glancing over his shoulder at the swordsman who was frowning angrily at the stack of documents he had spread out over the coffee table, Omi sighed deeply and prepared to sign-off from his Internet account for fear that Aya might catch him chatting with Nagi and ask some uncomfortable questions. However, before he could click on the disconnect button, the in-coming message chime sounded, causing him to jump slightly in his seat. 

Opening the window eagerly, he found the following message:

****

ProfX: Sorry to be so late, Will! Hope you weren't worried! (apologetic smile)

Feeling as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders, Omi quickly responded:

****

Williamtell: (relieved smile) Well, I was a _little___ worried, Xavier. But I'm glad to see you now! (happy smile)

****

ProfX: (worried look) Uh-oh! You called me by my full name for a change. Does that mean you're angry with me? (sniffle)

****

Williamtell: (nervous laugh) Oh no, nothing like that, X! It's just that I'm not alone right now and wasn't paying attention. I wish I could chat, but I'd better not. Sorry. (sad look)

Before a response could be received from Nagi, however, a resonant voice spoke from behind Omi's chair, "Why not? As long as you can 'chat' quietly, it won't disturb me." 

Shocked, the blond spun to face the scarlet-haired man, "Aya-kun! You scared the daylights out of me!" After taking a deep breath and ignoring the new message chime that indicated that Nagi had responded, Omi asked in confusion, "What do you mean? Um, did you need me for something?"

Aya ruthlessly suppressed the desire to laugh at how nervous the usually calm and collected tactician was and then commented, "First, what I meant was that if you wanted to 'chat' with your friend, go right ahead. It's not as if I'm not already used to hearing you typing away on that thing. Second, all I needed was to know if we had addresses and layouts for the nightclubs you listed as places Glocksten is likely to frequent over the weekend."

Omi smiled in relief and nodded, "Sure thing! I've got a list of those available from Kritiker, let me print it off for you and you can pick the ones you want, okay?"

"Fine," Aya shrugged and walked away, mildly amused by the line from Nagi that still sat unanswered on Omi's screen.

****

ProfX: (frightened) Eep!! I'm sorry! I had no idea! (tiny pout) I'll see you tomorrow then, right? (hopeful look)

Shaking his head in amazement since things were working out so unexpectedly well, Omi quickly typed in a response of his own:

****

Williamtell: (shocked) Um, never mind about my needing to go. Apparently, Zorro doesn't mind if I sit and "chat" with you while I help him out and do my homework at the same time. (baffled look)

****

ProfX: (swallowing nervously) Er, _Zorro_ saw the open chat window? And you're still alive to talk about it? Is there some kind of catch to that? (confused)

****

Williamtell: (equally confused) Not that I can tell. He needs me to get him some stuff while I'm online anyway, but otherwise, I don't think so. Let me take care of that and see if he's just waiting to kill me later or not. I'll be right back.

Carrying the list from Kritiker's files that the other man needed which had spooled off the printer while he had chatted with Nagi, Omi walked over to Aya and asked, "Did you need anything else from me right now, Aya-kun? Oh, and let me know when you've chosen which layouts you want and I'll request them."

"I won't have a list for a little while, Omi," the older assassin responded, fighting to keep a smile from his lips at how nervous the younger one seemed. There would ordinarily have been no chance of Aya finding this the least bit worthy of note, but as long as he was as tired as he was at this point, he'd continue to respond to things around him in an uncharacteristic fashion. Without giving it much thought, he said, "As for what else I want, just remember to go to bed on your own tonight, okay?"

With those few words, Omi finally realized that it was indeed the swordsman who had put him onto the couch the night before and he felt a wave of warm appreciation that practically glowed in his cerulean eyes as he smiled and promised, "I will, Aya-kun, thanks." 

"Hn," Aya grunted as he turned his attention to the newest printout and compared it to the list of possible sightings of either of Weiss' two targets, once more focused on the mission instead of his teammate's private life.

Glad that everything went so smoothly, Omi returned to his cozy corner settling back into his seat and pulling out his math book with one hand as the other typed a reassuring message to Nagi that they could continue to chat for awhile. 

Uncertain of the wisdom of that decision but unwilling to question Omi pointblank, Nagi kept the discussion light as he mentioned having been invited to dinner with the rest of "those weird guys I live with." It pleased the Weiss assassin immensely when the diminutive telekinetic mentioned that he'd enjoyed the meal for a change, too. 

The pleasant evening continued as the genki blond finished his homework and retrieved layouts for a possible assassination attempt, in other words, a fairly typical night in the life of one Tsukiyono Omi. 

Naoe Nagi was enjoying a similarly relaxed night as he unleashed a new menace on his RPG players by announcing that Professor Xavier had been attacked by an unknown foe and was lapsing in and out of consciousness thereby depriving them of his guidance. Actually, what he was really doing was simply arranging for the game to continue on without him over the weekend, something that he did on a regular basis and it failed to make much difference for most of the players. 

After enjoying the first wave of panicky requests for clarification from his gamers, Nagi let Omi know he'd decided to go to bed early for a change since he wanted to be well rested for their date the next night. The telekinetic was sure that he was too excited about the upcoming evening out with the vivacious young florist to sleep, but he felt tired enough to give it a try.

Omi replied that this was an excellent idea and that he was calling it quits early, too, for the same reasons even though neither of them had the courage to admit to one another their excitement about a simple trip to an anime theatre and a meal together. 

A few lines to bid each other a good night's rest later, and Omi was shutting down the system while saying, "Aya-kun? I know it's only midnight, but I think I'll turn in early if you don't need me for anything else."

"Hm?" Aye glanced up from the layouts for the five clubs he most suspected Glocksten to be at over the weekend, hoping to identify their best chance for intercepting him and then nodded, "Oh, right. No, there's nothing else I need right now, Omi. See you tomorrow."

"Okay," Omi smiled and headed up the spiral staircase while calling back, "Goodnight, Aya-kun!"

Certain that it wouldn't be seen, Aya allowed a small smile to grace his lips as he nodded to himself, silently wishing the boy the same thing and feeling relieved that Omi had taken his earlier promise to sleep in his own bed seriously. With a deep yawn, he then scrubbed at his weary eyes before returning to the task at hand well aware that healthful slumber would be his again only after at least one if not both of their targets was nothing more than a corpse in a morgue.

Miles away, in the Schwarz penthouse, Crawford was shocked to hear Nagi wishing Farfarello goodnight before the midnight international stock market report had come on. He kept his curiosity to himself, though, and simply felt relieved that not only had Nagi eaten well at dinner, he was even going to get a full night's rest for a change and both were definite improvements over the boy's usual habits. 

If the two leaders of the rival assassin groups had known that the causes of the changes they were pleased with had been a direct result of fraternization among their ranks, they wouldn't have been so happy about it. However, ignorance is reported to be bliss and for a little while longer, Bradley Crawford and Fujimiya Aya would both remain pleasantly unaware of the truth.

*****

To be continued.

Author's Notes:

[1] The concept of love motels, special places where couples can escape their crowded lives for a few hours of intimacy, is a distinctly oriental one and they play an intriguing role in many yaoi manga series. Unlike the image most American's might have of a flea-infested room that a street walker and their client might hire for an hour or two, these establishments are typically quite well lit, clean, inviting, and not the least bit sleazy. Some even go so far as to have grandiose themes with rooms decorated to help fulfill many a sexual fantasy going so far as to include special audio-visual systems and more. The only real catch to them is the cost which can be astronomical at the more high-end ones and to stay the entire night can cost a small fortune. Ah, to be wealthy, in love, and in Tokyo!

[Posting Run Dedication] This evening's addition to our increasingly complicated tale is hereby dedicated to Carter Tachikawa who apparently shares more with me than a preference for angst-ridden bishounen over blissfully happy ones. The comments left in some recent reviews at fanfiction.net about a period of depression affecting this kind soul made me realize that I was far from alone in feeling the way that I have lately. Thanks, Carter, for all the supportive words for not only this story but others in the past and here's hoping we are both free of the darkness soon. Winter's chill is bad enough, we don't need it echoing in our souls, ne?

Please be advised: Parts 17 & 18 will be posted together.

Originally posted: 04 December 2002 ~2:15am EST

First revised version posted: 05 December 2002 ~1:40am EST

Second revised chapter posted: 19 March 2003 ~1:25am EST


	19. Weiss' Fateful Commitment

Greetings and welcome to the first posting run of "Neutral Territory" for 2003. 

As some of you may already know, all eighteen of the previously posted chapters of this story have been revised and the improved versions are now available here in case anyone wanted to see them. There is also hopefully useful information in the new intro-note preceding the first chapter of the fic regarding my LiveJournal where I will include announcements regarding when new posting runs are expected to go out as well as previews. 

Tonight's chapters both take place during the breakfast hours on Friday, the day of Omi and Nagi's first real date. In chapter 19, we find out how things are at the Koneko as Omi worries over an unexpected challenge; after he leaves for school, his teammates talk together and come to an agreement over one matter while another situation continues to deteriorate. In chapter 20, we have a similar visit with Schwarz and a comparable discussion between Crawford and Schuldich may have drastic consequences.

I'm not sure how soon I will have more of this fic to share with everyone, but in the meantime, I hope those of you who were awaiting these chapters will enjoy them. If you happen to have anything nice to say to my muses about them, they'd love to hear it.

Enjoy the Angst,

~~~Enigma~~~

(who can't bring himself to do the whole "genki llama" bit for reasons discussed elsewhere, but hopes new chapters are acceptable even without the usual Angst Theatre trappings)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

****

Title: Neutral Territory [part 19/?]

Author: Enigma

Written: begun October, 2001 

Rating: R 

Pairings: (Omi + Nagi) (Yohji + Ken) (Brad + Schu) 

Category: Shonen ai/Yaoi Angst Friendship Romance Action Violence. AU-OOC. Giftfic.

Archive: fanfiction.net & mediaminer.org [author: "E-sama the Llama"] plus Wuffie.net [author: "Enigma"]

Warnings: shonen ai/yaoi, angst, masculine friendship in many forms, various levels of romance, action, coarse language, whiffs of citrus but nothing detailed, possibly graphic violence, bloodshed, tiny bits of humor, fluff, and sap; more warnings will be added as necessary. AU-OOC. Giftfic for Rubious.

Spoilers: Aya's sister's condition and a few other small things, nothing major.

Disclaimer: "Weiss Kreuz" is the property of Koyasu Takehito and Project Weiss. All original characters featured herein (including but not limited to: Glocksten, Charon, etc.) are © Enigma, 2003, and are not to be used without permission. This unauthorized work of fanfiction is intended for entertainment only; kindly do not sue me.

Notes: Omi's first trip to the public library results in an unexpected meeting when Nagi saves his life without being aware of the Weiss archer's identity. Can two lonely teens overcome the limits of their dark purpose in life to find friendship and possibly love in the midst of "neutral territory"? 

//thoughts// 

{{mental speech}}

*****

Friday morning. The flower shop's kitchen.

*****

Friday morning in the kitchen of the Koneko was livelier than usual thanks to a well-rested but very excited young man who was looking forward to what amounted to his first real date.

"What do you think I *should* wear, Yohji-kun?" Omi asked, large cerulean eyes peering at the former playboy with confusion even as he set dishes of fluffy rice onto the table for the three of them. [1] They didn't expect to see Aya at breakfast since he had afternoon shift, hence no place setting was prepared for him. Feeling confused, Omi added, "You said that my black jeans were okay, but not my white cotton shirt? Why not?" He'd thought his garments' wordless play on the names of the two assassin teams might give Nagi a smile, but he trusted his suave eldest teammate's fashion sense implicitly. 

"Because, Omiitchi," the former playboy smirked indulgently, "you wore that when he saw you earlier in the week, didn't you? Don't you think that something new and different might be a better choice?"

Omi looked a little frightened by this suggestion and admitted, "But I don't have the money for anything new, Yohji-kun! Or the time to go *get* something." Crestfallen, he sank into a seat at the table and dropped his chin into his hands and very nearly whined when he asked helplessly, "What'll I do?"

"Why not borrow one of mine?" Ken offered, turning from the stove to smile at him even as he stirred the miso soup he was heating for the atypically traditional Japanese breakfast they were all working on together. Generally speaking, the men of Weiss preferred western food for their first meal of the day, bacon and eggs being the usual choice, but Ken had recommended a change of pace and that was all it took for Yohji to insist on it. As he added some cubes of tofu to the simmering stock, the brunette mentioned, "I've got a great looking dark pink one that shrank a little in the wash that ought to fit you, Omi. I think it'd look great on you, too. What do you think, Yohji?"

The lanky blond lifted one eyebrow even as he removed his sunglasses from the top of his head and chewed on them contemplatively before answering, "I don't think that rose is quite his color, Kenken. Why not that dark blue silk one that I gave you instead?" With a shrug, Yohji stuck the shades back into their regular spot and proceeded to transfer carefully cut strips of folded omelet to plates that already held freshly baked fish on them. 

Brown eyes flew wide as Ken realized that his partner knew he'd accidentally ruined a gift from him in the same mishandled load of laundry as the rose shirt had been, a crime that the former soccer player had thought would go undetected. With a small sigh of regret, he then nodded apologetically, "Yeah, good idea. Um, sorry for shrinking that shirt, Yohji."

"Not a problem," the older man waved the matter away dismissively before turning to the distasteful task of setting out dishes of natto for the two teens who enjoyed the healthful fermented soybeans that he himself found more than a little disgusting. With a smirk curling one corner of his mouth, he added playfully, "Perhaps it was fate since our darling little Omiitchi needs it more tonight than you ever will! After all, Kenken, I already know how good *you* look in a darkened theater, I don't need a sexy silk shirt to enhance the image!" He turned a seductive smile on his nervous lover and winked.

A bright flush splashed onto Ken's cheeks and he exclaimed, "Yohji! Not in front of Omi! He'll invoke that 'no sex in the kitchen' thing again!"

Omi, however, wasn't even listening to the two lovers' playful discussion as he forced himself back onto his feet and went to root around in the refrigerator for the last few things required for their morning meal since he did need to get to school before too awfully much longer.

Tired after another virtually sleepless night, Aya shuffled into the kitchen and went straight to the coffeepot which was thankfully fairly full. He merely nodded in acknowledgement when Omi and Ken both bid him rather surprised wishes of welcome and the harsh gaze Yohji threw at him ever so briefly for being rude was ignored entirely. 

With a mug filled almost to overflowing with fresh coffee, the swordsman sank into a chair with noticeably less grace than normal and rested his forehead against one hand exhaustedly before he consumed the caffeine he desperately needed. As amethyst eyes filled with weariness and frustration sank closed, Aya merely sat there slumped forward in his chair while taking deep sips of his coffee and desperately wishing for a break in the case that had stymied him.

Momentarily silent, Yohji found forgiveness in his heart and shook his head sadly as he observed the ravages of insomnia on the team's field leader. He knew better than to insist that Aya go back to bed as he had the day before since it simply wouldn't do any good at this point. With a soft sigh of resignation, he sincerely hoped that they'd complete their mission soon since eliminating Glocksten and Charon was the only thing that would allow his scarlet-haired teammate to sleep again. 

Trying to get his own mind off things as well as to forestall comments from either of the teens who were also worried about Aya's condition, Yohji forced a smile onto sensual lips and asked, "So, Omiitchi, when are we going to get a chance to meet your Xavier, hm?" 

Cerulean eyes springing wide nervously, Omi fumbled for words yet was rescued by Ken who agreed with the ploy to keep attention off their sleep-deprived teammate and interrupted with, "Now, Yohji, don't pressure the kid." Smiling fondly at the younger of the blondes as he rapidly pulled together servings of all the dishes for Aya to have in the hopes that hot food might help him feel better, he added, "His new koibito might not be ready for their relationship to be known publicly." 

"'Koibito'?!" Omi blurted out in a shocked voice. He blushed slightly as he explained, "We're just *friends*, Ken-kun, not boyfriends or, or… or lovers!" The way he'd stammered as his denial had come out was far too genuine for it to not be true at some level, however the flush painting his cheeks rosy indicated he didn't find the suggestion the least bit distasteful. 

Ken smiled reassuringly and explained, "Of course not, that term can be used for someone you care about a lot, too, you know! And I meant what I said, if he's not ready, then we'll wait. We just want to see you happy." 

"You do?" Omi asked, his smile brighter than the sun on the finest of spring mornings.

"Of course we do, bishounen," Yohji said warmly, then he added gently, "but we also want to meet your new friend someday soon. After all, Kenken and I both want to make sure he's good enough for you. Then, if he passes muster, Xavier will be more than welcome here anytime you and he feel like getting together to study or whatever."

Delighted smile faltering only slightly as Omi realized that preventing the former detective from finding out who "Xavier" really was would most likely be impossible if Yohji ever became truly curious. Setting that worry aside for another time, he responded, "Well, Yohji-kun, that sounds really great, but I'll leave it up to him, all right? Apparently he lives with some people who aren't as open-minded as they could be."

"We understand, Omi," Ken interjected as he ladled the miso soup into bowls and topped it with freshly chopped spring onions. With a hesitant smile as he placed a steaming bowl in front of Aya who gave him a curt nod of thanks for the kindness, he said with finality, "Let's not worry the topic to death, though, guys. Why don't we enjoy some breakfast now?"

"Sounds good to me, Kenken!" Yohji added giving his lover an encouraging smile as he placed the plates he'd added assorted pickled vegetables to onto the table. With a sad gaze at Aya who was clearly miserable despite the tasty soup, he asked, "Um, Aya? Can I get you something?"

Exhaustion filled violet eyes rose and there was a faint, indecipherable emotion behind the iced-amethyst gaze as Aya responded, "No. What I need, you can't provide." What he truly wanted to say was that he needed a time and a place to eliminate the cancer that was Glocksten and Charon both, yet somehow it came across rather differently.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Yohji answered, not willing to step into the morass of questions that single glance had brought to mind. 

Breaking the tension with the traditional happy declaration that it was time to eat, Omi changed the subject of conversation back to the date he was looking forward to that afternoon. The others followed his lead and before long the foursome was enjoying a pleasant meal together and not worrying over either unpunished crimes or unresolved needs. 

*****

Friday morning a little bit later. The flower shop's kitchen.

*****

After Omi carefully packed the silk shirt he planned to change into after classes were dismissed into his backpack and left for school shortly after breakfast ended, Ken brought fresh mugs of coffee for all three of those left behind. 

As he resumed his seat at the table, Ken said thoughtfully, "It's really great to see Omi starting to have something like a normal life finally. I was beginning to think the poor kid was going to never get a 'special friend' like Xavier."

Startled to realize he'd been reflecting on the fact that he himself hadn't had a similar relationship in far too long, Aya spoke up unexpectedly and stated flatly, "I won't bother to repeat what I said about the mission coming first. But frankly, I doubt Manx is going to be glad to hear about this." Taking a sip of coffee and missing the astounded looks on his teammate's faces, he shook his head slightly and said nothing more.

"That's her problem!" Yohji rushed to interject while continuing to be puzzled by the swordsman's earlier behavior and now his words. After sharing a glance with his equally baffled lover, he added as if it was a foregone conclusion, "I say if the two kids are happy together, we see about running interference for them. Between us, we should be able to keep Manx, Persia, or anyone else who has doesn't like it out of their hair. What do you think, Kenken?" He gestured with his head towards Aya and it was clear that he was asking two questions at once with his words.

Frowning and shaking his head in a silent negative since he was as lost as Yohji was, Ken replied, "I'm all for it, Yohji." Seeing Aya's eyes slipping shut yet not as if he was sleepy but more as if he was somehow experiencing a pain that he couldn't cope with, his chocolate gaze filled with worry of its own which he saw reflected in emerald. Sensing they were skating on thin ice to spend so much time focused on the violet-eyed mystery, he brought the subject back to the teenagers and added, "And that goes for Xavier's roommates or family or whoever the hell he lives with, too! Shit, if they're not 'open-minded' enough to welcome a great kid like Omi into their midst, then I say we see to it that the kids' secret stays safe all the way around."

"That works for me," Yohji agreed wholeheartedly. He then forced them both to set aside their concerns for Aya and refocus on their mundane reality by saying, "Well, Aya, we're going to go get ready to open the shop in a couple of hours. Were you just going to hang around here for awhile or did you need to borrow my car again?"

"Huh?" Aya opened his eyes and blinked dazedly at the older assassin for a moment too long. He then firmed his lips into their usual scowl of indifference and stated, "I intend to go through the newspaper and see if that gives me any inspiration for setting up an assassination attempt on those bastards."

Being reminded of Charon brought Yohji crashing back to earth and with a hunter's gaze he replied, "Good! I can't wait to put that cop-killer out of everyone's misery!" Taking a huge risk, he placed a hand on Aya's shoulder and stated sincerely, "If you need to spend the day working on that, Aya, do it. Ken and I can handle the shop on our own if it means we can get out there and bring them down sooner."

Ken nodded his agreement and remained silent as Aya tolerated the warmth longer than one might expect and then shrugged it off as he rose to begin clearing away dishes to make room for the morning edition of one of Tokyo's leading newspapers. With a sigh he thought they wouldn't hear, he then refused, saying as emotionlessly as he could manage, "That won't be necessary. I'll need to clear my head by this afternoon anyway and making a few floral arrangements usually helps me think." Abyssinian gave his teammates a dismissive glance and then returned to his customary silence.

With a huff of breath that wordlessly said he was frustrated by the situation and yet had no better answers to offer at the moment, Ken reached for Yohji's arm, tugging it lightly then releasing it as he said, "C'mon, Yohji. Let's go get ready for work."

"Sure, babe," Yohji answered quietly and didn't even bother with their usual morning banter about showering together since they mostly needed a chance to compare notes regarding their confusing friend. 

Yohji and Ken left the room together each silently hoping that the other had a better idea for how to bring Aya the comfort he obviously needed than he himself had. Neither had ever gained a sufficient understanding of what made Fujimiya Aya do the things he did or how his tortured soul might find solace, but they both knew the time had come to change that. 

Alone in the kitchen, Aya allowed his façade to fall away for a brief moment and placed both hands on the back of a chair, clinging to it for strength as he took a series of deep breaths and desperately tried to clear his weary mind. The discussion about protecting the two young men whose relationship was apparently evolving nicely had brought up memories and thoughts he'd sequestered since a year before the horrible day that he had lost so much and had left his sister in a coma. 

Unfortunately, Aya decided to try to force his previously frozen heart back into its quiescent state by picking up the paper and focusing on it instead of coping with the mental image of the handsome upperclassman who had ushered him into sexual awareness before his untimely death. [2] Most of the front page was taken up by the latest political scandal that was undermining the position of the prime minister and with an exasperated snort, he turned to the second page and found something he'd dreaded seeing since Monday night's mission briefing.

At the top of a column was the photograph of a heartbroken middle school student who was holding a portrait of two younger children whose identical smiles radiated the youthful joy the beautiful twin sixth-graders had always expressed. Within the body of the article, Aya found the details of a kidnapping which matched the method of operation of Glocksten's slavery/prostitution ring to the letter and which had left a grieving elder sibling suddenly an only child for all intents and purposes. 

"Goddamn it!" Aya cursed loudly unaware that the newspaper was being crushed in his grip. With a snarl like that of some mythical beast set upon destruction, all exhaustion was banished and he rose fluidly as he stated, "Glocksten, you bastard! You've caused pain for the last time! Weiss *will* track you down and kill you! I will see to that personally!!" 

With a swirl of scarlet hair flashing in the morning sunshine like spun flames, Abyssinian stalked from the kitchen intending to descend into the basement and spend some time sharpening his katana in preparation for the opportunity to make good on that impassioned vow. He'd left behind the newspaper whose photo would surely grab the attention of a certain volunteer soccer coach and it was fairly obvious that Siberian would be as eager for the confrontation as he was after seeing it.

Later, Balinese would find himself in the atypical position of the voice of reason and with some coaxing for both lover and leader, he'd see to it that it was business as usual in the Koneko no Sumu Ie a few hours later. 

There wasn't any doubt that Bombay would be put to work on the case after his date with Nagi but for the moment, Omi was blissfully unaware of the kidnapping of two girls whose older brother's plight had reminded Aya of his own sorrow far too well.

*****

To be continued.

Author's Notes:

[1] The traditional Japanese breakfast referenced here is based on a wonderful photo essay of a sort on the matter in "Dorling Kindersley Travel Guide to Japan" © 2000.

[2] The unnamed boy mentioned in passing regarding Ran's past sexual experience is of my own invention. At a later point, possibly in a sequel to this piece, more will be revealed about the foredoomed bishounen who had once brought a true and open smile to our scarlet-haired swordsman's lips. Also, just a point of reference for the Weiss aficionados amongst us, I am disregarding the drama CDs since they were not part of the original series, therefore Aya's time with Crashers is irrelevant.

Please be advised: Parts 19 & 20 will be posted together.

Posted: 27 March 2003 ~1:05am EST


	20. Brad and Schu's Decision

****

Title: Neutral Territory [part 20/?]

Author: Enigma

Written: begun October, 2001 

Rating: R 

Pairings: (Omi + Nagi) (Yohji + Ken) (Brad + Schu) 

Category: Shonen ai/Yaoi Angst Friendship Romance Action Violence. AU-OOC. Giftfic.

Archive: fanfiction.net & mediaminer.org [author: "E-sama the Llama"] plus Wuffie.net [author: "Enigma"]

Warnings: shonen ai/yaoi, angst, masculine friendship in many forms, various levels of romance, action, coarse language, whiffs of citrus but nothing detailed, possibly graphic violence, bloodshed, tiny bits of humor, fluff, and sap; more warnings will be added as necessary. AU-OOC. Giftfic for Rubious.

Spoilers: Aya's sister's condition and a few other small things, nothing major.

Disclaimer: "Weiss Kreuz" is the property of Koyasu Takehito and Project Weiss. All original characters featured herein (including but not limited to: Glocksten, Charon, etc.) are © Enigma, 2003, and are not to be used without permission. This unauthorized work of fanfiction is intended for entertainment only; kindly do not sue me.

Notes: Omi's first trip to the public library results in an unexpected meeting when Nagi saves his life without being aware of the Weiss archer's identity. Can two lonely teens overcome the limits of their dark purpose in life to find friendship and possibly love in the midst of "neutral territory"? 

//thoughts// 

{{mental speech}}

*****

Friday morning. Various locations in the Schwarz penthouse.

*****

Even as Omi was enjoying fashion advice as well as a wholesome breakfast, Nagi was very quietly getting ready for school and finding himself too nervous to drink the cup of instant miso soup that he had prepared, something that wasn't half as good as what Ken had made. 

Usually the sable-haired boy ate more for his first meal of the day, a fact that Omi would've been glad to know, but he was too excited about the plans they had for the afternoon to really focus on preparing or consuming much of anything. Nagi was so distracted that he hadn't even turned on the rice cooker that he'd placed his usual scant serving of rice into. Luckily, he'd also forgotten to pour in the water, so the grains wouldn't go to waste and possibly earn him an unwelcome rebuke from the financially conscious team leader later.

While Nagi stood by the sink contemplating whether or not to dump out the soup, Schuldich padded into the kitchen dressed in a pair of rumpled silk pajamas and looking as if he was barely awake. Yawning while going about the task of putting together a pot of coffee, he noticed a cloud of anxiety around his young teammate's surface thoughts yet he said nothing, deferring to Crawford's wishes to leave the boy alone.

Not half as suspicious as he would've been if it weren't for the recent improvement in their relationship, Nagi was still appropriately hesitant about staying in the room with the telepath. After making a quick decision to force the soup down and then doing so, he hurried from the room mumbling an atypical "good morning" as well as a usually unheard of "goodbye" to the German en route. 

One thin red eyebrow rose in curiosity in response to this odd behavior, yet Schuldich didn't say a word to the boy, merely watched him leave before sending, {{Brad? Do you want anything with your coffee, baby?}} He felt the endearment typically reserved for use in the bedroom was acceptable since if they'd had a coffeemaker in there he'd never have left the warm comfort of their bed in the first place.

{{No thanks, Schu,}} Crawford responded drowsily, then added with a gentle hint of affection, {{Just hurry up, love. It's cold in here alone.}}

Schuldich laughed and shook his head, causing orange-red tresses to tickle the sides of his neck, something that reminded him that he needed to tie his hair back when it wasn't held in place by its usual headband. Sending an image of his own hands getting out mugs and then drumming fingers impatiently on a countertop near the sluggish machine, the telepath replied, {{I'm going as fast as I can, Brad.}} With a mental huff, he added, {{We really need a faster pot. This one seems to take forever at times.}}

Chuckling slightly even as he gave in to necessity and pulled on the pajama shirt he almost never wore, Crawford responded, {{That's the fastest one on the market, Schu, and you know it. You just need to remember to preprogram it to brew in the morning, that's all.}} He almost reached for the wire-rimmed glasses which were laying on a bedside table and then thought better of it. For once, the two lovers had nowhere to go and all morning to get there, so the possibility was there for a more enjoyable start to the day than just reading the latest stock news in his office and being harassed by his second in command.

Pouring two steaming mugs of the aromatic beverage as soon as he could, Schuldich replied with a smirk, {{What? Me?! Plan ahead and ruin my reputation as a self-indulgent creature of spontaneity?! Perish the thought!}} Adding a mental laugh as he made his way back to the bedroom, he added less teasingly, {{Could you get the door, baby? My hands are full.}}

{{Of course,}} the American replied and did as requested before carefully closing it behind the redhead and placing them back into their zone of comfort wherein they could truly reveal themselves to one another, emotionally speaking. Accepting a mug and offering a kiss of thanks in return, Crawford inquired, {{Was that Nagi heading out for school? I thought I heard the front door.}}

Schuldich relished the kiss for the moment or two that it lasted and then pulled away, seeking the heat of their bed. Even as he crawled back under the covers and invited Crawford to join him with a pat on the mattress, he answered aloud, "Yeah, that was him all right. But I have to admit, he seemed nervous about something, Brad. Considering something I saw the other night, though," there was a catlike quality to his smirk as he concluded, "I've got a pretty good idea what it was about."

Knowing his clever and insightful lover well enough to know that the German was displaying classic "I know something you don't know" behavior, the American sipped his coffee for a moment and found it too hot to drink, so he set it aside for the moment as did his partner. 

After making Schuldich wait a little to divulge his secret, something that he did on occasion simply to see the adorable pout that graced the younger assassin's lips for only a moment, Crawford asked with an inquiring glance, "Oh? And what would that be, Schu? Some juicy secret he'd be upset that you know, I assume."

"Absolutely!" Schuldich responded unrepentantly before explaining, "Last night, when I went to invite him to go out to dinner with us, he was in the middle of an instant message chat with someone that evoked the most amazing reaction from him. In fact, I think our little Nagikins *finally* has a boyfriend!"

Crawford accepted this information and contemplated it before asking, "Why do you assume it's a boy and not a girl, Schu?"

Snorting in amusement, Schuldich shook his head sadly and asked, "Um, Brad? Did you forget to whom you are speaking?" With a pointed gaze he explained, I *am* a telepath *and* I've known the kid almost as long as you have. He couldn't shield his thoughts when he first came into our lives and he may have been a child at the time, but the fact that he is as much a homosexual as you or I am was clear from the very beginning."

"What makes you so sure he hasn't broadened his horizons, Schu? There was that incident with the blue-haired girl you told me about once." [1] Crawford recalled something the redhead had recounted to him about a veritable snowstorm of sakura blossoms and the idea that Nagi might have discovered a preference for bisexuality wasn't out of the question.

Waving a hand in the air dismissively, the jade-eyed man replied, "He was fascinated by her innocence and wanted to know more, that's all." With a less confident smile, he sighed then added sadly, "Nagi couldn't believe any sane person could get to her age and yet still be so childlike. She was a curiosity--an oddity, if you prefer--to the boy that he wanted to understand, nothing more."

"Ah, yes, that makes sense," the mahogany-eyed man agreed. With a dissatisfied frown, Crawford then stated sadly, "Either way, male or female, anyone outside of Schwarz that he becomes involved with in such a way could face death because of it. Estet is quite jealous about who we associate with, as you well know, Schu."

Clearly displeased by not just one thing but two that his lover had just said, Schuldich scowled at his bedmate and pointed out the obvious, "As far as Nagi becoming romantically involved with a member of Schwarz goes, of course he can't! I'm not about to invite a *kid* into our bed and that only leaves Farfarello who we both know isn't stable enough to be trusted in sexual situations." With a snort, he declared, "Hell, his mood can change so fast at times, he could go from Don Juan to Hannibal Lecter in under a minute and when he changed back just to find a dead lover in his bed, you can well imagine the nightmare *that* would unleash!"

Crawford wanted to interject an apology since he'd clearly misspoken and succeeded in angering his hot-tempered lover, but Schuldich just kept going, exclaiming, "As far as Estet and their damned dominance over our lives goes, well, those old farts can go fuck themselves for all I care!" 

Bitter memories of the horrible days following the discovery of their own relationship by their superiors and the sorrow the two of them had endured because of it rose up like vengeful wraiths and ignited even greater anger within Schuldich. He and Crawford both had suffered almost more than they could take, yet if Estet had valued them any less than they did, their deaths would have been the requirement for failing to remain emotionally unattached. As it was, though, both psychics had survived and become even more powerful, but the telepath would never forgive them for what they had done, neither would he allow anything similar to befall their youngest teammate. 

With fury sparkling in his green eyes, Schuldich pointed a finger at Crawford and stated vehemently, "We didn't let them tear you and me apart when they tried to, and I'll be *damned* before I'll let them do the same to Nagi and whoever he's got his sights set on!" Without hesitation, he allowed the painful recollections to spur him on to make a proclamation he would never have made otherwise, saying, "Shit, Brad, now that he finally seems happy, I'll be glad to fight to keep it that way!" 

As the torrent of words came to a sudden stop, Crawford nonverbally and with infinite gratitude interjected, {{You can't begin to know how glad I am to hear you say that, love.}} Reaching out a warm hand and placing it on the irate redhead's cheek, he explained, {{Despite the hell 'Prodigy' had to endure during his training, a great deal of what I wanted to give the poor, homeless waif I pulled from the streets years ago was just a little happiness. I know Nagi's life has been a difficult one and that probably won't change completely just because he's found someone to enjoy spending time with, but it's a start.}}

Verdant eyes blinked in mild confusion, they so rarely spoke of long-range desires for themselves, much less for their teammates and this had taken Schuldich by surprise. He found this statement a bit out of character for Crawford at first, then as it sank in that this was a logical thing for a father-figure to wish for a child he viewed somewhat like a son, he nodded slowly to indicate his understanding. With a terribly sad smile, he asked, {{But that doesn't mean you won't kill whoever it is Nagi's grown fond of if they directly command us to, does it, Brad? We can't get away with that level of insubordination no matter what we feel, unfortunately. They'd just send someone else to do it and probably take us down at the same time.}}

{{Regrettable but true, Schu,}} Crawford replied. Then with a decidedly devious smirk, he added, {{However, with my abilities combined with yours, don't you think we might keep them from finding out? Or at least minimize what they are able to uncover without our cooperation?}}

Chuckling darkly, the telepath nodded and agreed, sending, {{Ah, Bradley, I knew there was a reason I loved you other than that magnificent, well-hung body of yours! A mind as conniving as my own is a beautiful thing. Under the right circumstances, of course.}}

Slipping his hand from his bedmate's face to cradle the back of his skull before drawing the German close for a deep kiss, Crawford answered, {{Yes, I tend to think so, my dear guilty one. I think that if Nagi is willing to be discrete even as you and I are vigilant, we may be able to give the two of them a chance together.}}

{{Excellent,}} Schuldich agreed and brought his hands into play, unbuttoning the American's pajama shirt that was keeping him from his pre-breakfast pleasure. As a tendril of confused thought reached out to him in supplication, however, he stopped. Shoulders slumping since all the strong emotions had made him amorous and he didn't want to be interrupted, he pulled out of the kiss and said aloud, "Farfie's awake and sliding downhill in a hurry, Brad."

Heaving a frustrated sigh, the former boxer reached for his glasses and slipped them into place, thereby beginning the conversion from "Brad" to "Crawford" even as Schuldich rebuttoned the shirt for him. But before he shifted completely, he drew one of Schuldich's hands to his mouth and after suckling a fingertip provocatively, he promised, "Unless he's worse than what a few of his tranquilizers can handle, hold this thought, love. I'll be back in a few minutes."

Awareness of Crawford's unusual offer to take the role of uke struck Schuldich and with a bright smile, he agreed wholeheartedly, "Then he damned well better not be too bad, baby! I haven't had the pleasure of you under me in much too long!"

Climbing out of bed and stepping into slippers, Crawford glanced back at the sensual man he would give free rein to in mere moments and said honestly, "And I haven't had the pleasure of you *in* me in far too long, Schu."

After the American had left the sanctity of their bedroom, Schuldich let out a whoop of delight and bounded out of bed in search of a fresh tube of lube since this role reversal always took plenty for various reasons. While digging through their private bath's medicine cabinet for it, a thought crossed his mind as to what had prompted the offer in the first place. 

Even though he was keeping a light telepathic watch on the interactions between the precognitive and the bladesman, Schuldich correctly assumed this was Crawford's way of showing his appreciation for the agreement to protect Nagi's budding relationship. Shaking his head and thinking that occasionally Brad was as stupid as some men are all the time, he made a mental note to point out that such a gesture wasn't necessary, he'd spoken his mind earlier without hope for reward.

While Crawford took the steps necessary to make the Irishman as comfortable as possible in a warm straightjacket the way that Farfarello preferred to be when he was rational enough to ask for it before the madness could grow, Schuldich reiterated in his heart the pledge to help the telekinetic. There was no doubt this was a dangerous decision for the eldest members of Schwarz to have made, but that didn't deter him in the least. 

Within a reasonable period of time, the two lovers would be reunited and as an amber-eyed man slept a deep, drug-induced sleep, they would reconfirm the depths of their commitment to one another in a physical fashion that would leave them both infinitesimally closer together as it usually did. They would then rest in one another's arms totally unaware of the fact that they had just celebrated a decision which echoed one made far across Tokyo in the kitchen of a certain flower shop.

On that fateful Friday morning, both Schwarz and Weiss had unknowingly made promises to protect and defend a relationship which existed between the youngest members of each of their rival teams of assassins. When black mixes with white, shades of gray are formed and if ever there was a gray zone it existed in the form of an unexpected couple whose definition of "neutral territory" seemed to expand on a daily basis.

Too bad Omi and Nagi's self-proclaimed zone of safety could never extend to where it would ultimately be tested, but that was a worry for another day entirely.

*****

To be continued.

Author's Notes:

[1] Please forgive a slight modification of the timeline here so that Tot could be at least hinted at this one time since she is an integral character as far as Nagi is concerned.

[Posting Run Dedication] The first new posting run of this story in far too long is hereby dedicated to the wonderful friends who read and comment on my LJ. Their support and encouragement kept me going throughout the difficult rebuilding process that preceded the release of these chapters and then continued to buoy me up when I almost got bogged down by problems in the rough draft of chapter 20. I hope that those of them who were looking forward to reading these newest glimpses within the homes of both Weiss and Schwarz enjoyed them and will feel they were worth the wait. If anyone else wishes to join the party there, please do! It's a lot of fun and I will be offering previews plus sneak peeks of new chapters as they come into being. Look for me as username "e_sama" at LiveJournal.com. 

Please be advised: Parts 19 & 20 will be posted together.

Posted: 27 March 2003 ~1:05am EST


	21. The Date: A Reunion and Anime

Welcome to another posting run of "Neutral Territory" here at the Angst Theatre. I had hoped to have these two chapters to you much sooner, but as those who follow my LJ already know, a series of unrelated crises interfered with those plans.

{lights the marquee and offers an abbreviated playbill reading}

In tonight's performance, Omi and Nagi finally have their first official date. In the course of enjoying a movie, a motorcycle ride, and then dinner together, the pair will face a number of significant firsts and find a moment or two of the happiness they deserve to share while they still can. 

{bows gratefully and turns to his very important thank you list}

Before launching into the fic, please allow me to thank the wonderful folks who gave my muses and me a reason to smile after NT resumed posting runs last week. On-list, at my LJ, or in private, the following friends were most supportive: Rubious, Ryoko, Kaze, Idimmu, Nalan Li, Wataruo, Tosca, Yanagi-sen, Midori, Carter Tachikawa, Duae, Starshadow, and probably a few other people my malfunctioning brain forgot to add. Here at ff.net, I was terribly pleased to have gotten comments from: Midori, Carter Tachikawa, Kato-chan, Shaynie, Kyra, Kurokitsune, Yanagi-sen, ash, Assassian of the Shadows formerly Shadow Queen, and Mara-chan. Not surprisingly, there are no new reviews at MM.org, but now that the site seems to be a little easier to access, maybe that will change. 

With this many people enjoying the tale my muses are telling, it's even more of a pleasure than it might have been otherwise to get to present this evening's hopefully touching production.

Enjoy the Big Date!

~~~Enigma~~~

(who waves a flag warning of impending ELF, which is a delightful acronym coined by Yanagi-sen which stands for "Evil Llama Foreshadowing" in case anyone wondered what it meant) 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

****

Title: Neutral Territory [part 21/?]

Author: Enigma

Written: begun October, 2001 

Rating: R 

Pairings: (Omi + Nagi) (Yohji + Ken) (Brad + Schu) 

Category: Shonen ai/Yaoi Angst Friendship Romance Action Violence. AU-OOC. Giftfic.

Archive: fanfiction.net & mediaminer.org [author: "E-sama the Llama"] plus Wuffie.net [author: "Enigma"]

Warnings: shonen ai/yaoi, angst, masculine friendship in many forms, various levels of romance, action, coarse language, whiffs of citrus but nothing detailed, possibly graphic violence, bloodshed, tiny bits of humor, fluff, and sap; more warnings will be added as necessary. AU-OOC. Giftfic for Rubious.

Spoilers: Aya's sister's condition and a few other small things, nothing major.

Disclaimer: "Weiss Kreuz" is the property of Koyasu Takehito and Project Weiss. All original characters featured herein (including but not limited to: Glocksten, Charon, etc.) are © Enigma, 2003, and are not to be used without permission. This unauthorized work of fanfiction is intended for entertainment only; kindly do not sue me.

Notes: Omi's first trip to the public library results in an unexpected meeting when Nagi saves his life without being aware of the Weiss archer's identity. Can two lonely teens overcome the limits of their dark purpose in life to find friendship and possibly love in the midst of "neutral territory"? 

//thoughts// 

{{mental speech}}

*****

Friday afternoon. An unnamed movie theater.

*****

When Omi arrived at the theater where he was meeting Nagi, it was with a certain amount of trepidation that he left behind not only his motorcycle but also his cell phone. 

The last thing the Weiss archer wanted was to be called to duty as Bombay during his first real date and he hoped fervently that his teammates wouldn't hate him if he missed a call. Yet, as Omi strode closer to the congregation of people awaiting the opening of the ticket office and noted Nagi clad in his dove gray school uniform and nervously facing away from the crowd as if to shut them out, he found the deliberate dereliction of duty justifiable. 

Approaching the youngest member of Schwarz with caution for fear of startling the telekinetic into an instinctual and possibly disastrous reaction, Omi asked quietly, "Nagi-kun? Have you been waiting long?" 

Whirling and then retroactively suppressing the smile of delight which had decorated a face that needed to smile more often, Nagi responded simply, "No, Omi. Not long." This was a blatant lie if ever there was one. He had in fact skipped his last class of the day, feigning a stomach ache for fear of being late, and if Oracle ever found out about it, Prodigy would've had many uncomfortable questions to answer. 

Luckily, that wasn't about to happen. After all, if anyone in this gods-forsaken reality deserved a break it was these two boys and they had a lovely reunion because of it.

Sunshine bright smile on his own genki features, Omi replied, "Oh, good! I wouldn't want you to just stand around for long." 

Nagi shrugged and said, "It wasn't a problem." This was another lie. 

In point of fact, he'd had a renewed sense of ill ease much as he'd experienced on Wednesday when he found a vague paranoia filling his mind while waiting at the park. Once again he felt stranded and on display surrounded by strangers whose eyes seemed to contain expressions of disapproval that he felt were aimed at whoever allowed a child to be as malnourished as he was. Additionally, he was uncomfortable being in broad daylight without Omi's reassuring presence nearby. Happily, the cure for his unhappiness had arrived and it had done so wrapped in a most attractive package. 

Glancing around at the other people waiting for a chance to get tickets, Omi was relieved to see plenty of other high school students as well as older men and women. He'd been afraid that he and Nagi might stand out more than they wanted to due to their ages, but it wasn't an issue in the least.

With the smile that wouldn't leave his lips firmly in place, Omi turned to his friend and said, "I'm really looking forward to seeing the new Studio Ghibli movie today. Do you feel the same way, Nagi-kun?"

Midnight blue eyes blinked in confusion for a moment and then with a slightly sheepish expression which only Omi could read, Nagi responded uncertainly, "Um, well, perhaps." Realizing he made no sense and that was mostly because he had no idea at all what had just been said to him, Nagi ducked his head slightly and apologized, "I'm so sorry, Omi. I didn't hear your question. I was, well, distracted."

"'Distracted'?" Omi asked worriedly, wondering for a moment if something serious was amiss. "How so, Nagi-kun? Is something wrong?"

The faintest hint of pink painted itself onto alabaster cheeks and with his eyes still averted, the telekinetic admitted, "I was a little bit busy looking at your clothes, Omi." Peering up at the taller teen through a sable cascade of bangs, he added shyly, "You look absolutely wonderful dressed that way."

Cerulean eyes blinked in amazement and then, with another blinding smile, Omi asked hopefully, "Really? You think so?"

Slowly lifting his head and allowing himself to scan from stylish leather shoes up slim, black denim encased legs to a trim waistline then onto a rich, deep blue silk dress shirt that his fingers itched to touch, Nagi found his mouth a bit dry as he assured, "Absolutely. Not to say the things you usually wear aren't nice, they are, it's just this particular outfit makes you look simply marvelous."

It was Omi's turn to blush now, the words of praise--not to mention the lingering way his friend had gazed at him with the faintest hint of hunger in his eyes--were far more than he'd sought, only wanting to hear Nagi say something nice again. Smile shifting to a shyness he rarely felt, the blond replied gratefully, "That's awfully nice of you to say, Nagi-kun. I'll tell Yohji-kun and Ken-kun you approve of their taste in clothes." Not even noticing he'd mentioned his teammates by name since speaking of them as his roommates wasn't the same as mentioning anything Weiss-related, he added, "They were the ones who helped me decide what to wear."

"Oh?" Nagi was surprised and asked in confusion, "But how did they know the color of my eyes?"

"Your eyes?" Omi echoed, sharing in the bewilderment.

His theoretically emotionless façade cracked a little when Nagi explained with a shy demi-smile, "The color of your shirt matches my eyes, Omi. I assumed you'd done that on purpose. It's terribly flattering, you know."

Now that he understood, Omi, too, was surprised by this happy coincidence yet he felt obligated to set the record straight and did so, saying, "I wish that I *had* done it on purpose then, Nagi-kun. But the truth is that over breakfast I talked to the guys about what to wear and Yohji-kun had given this shirt to Ken-kun awhile ago but it shrunk in the laundry, and so it would fit and um, gee, I'm babbling again, aren't I?" With the cutest little embarrassed smile, he shrugged and said, "I'll tell them you liked it. Thanks for the compliment."

Having recaptured a bit of his control during Omi's lapse, Nagi had schooled his features into an expression of neutrality that the older boy saw through as if nothing had changed and responded, "You're quite welcome, Omi. I just wish," he gazed disdainfully at his dove gray uniform and complained sadly, "I'd had a chance to wear something different, too. But I knew Schuldich would be too interested in it if I had something different on when I got home than I did when I went to school."

Ignoring the milling people who were gravitating to the now open box office, Omi took a good long look of his own at his companion and after admiring the trim fit of the highly tailored garments, he said honestly, "I think you look great the way you're dressed, Nagi-kun. That uniform of yours is really cute."

Shyly tugging at the twin points at the front of his shirt, Nagi hemmed and hawed then simply said, "Thank you, Omi. No one's ever said that before," recollection of a certain German's nasal voice saying it in mocking jest sprang to mind and he added with a soft sigh, "and meant it. Oh well. Should we get in line for tickets now?"

Omi glanced at the people queued up and with a nod he agreed, "Sure! That way we'll have plenty of time to get some drinks and snacks, too!" He almost reached for Nagi's hand as if to lead him to the line yet stopped himself since such a public display of affection between two boys could lead to unwanted attention. Worse, it could lead to outright rejection since holding them while in the café where they ate noodles was clearly an act to help calm the upset psychic and this was not.

Blissfully unaware of Omi's decidedly romantic line of thinking, Nagi fell into step with his friend and asked sadly, "By wanting snacks now, does that mean we aren't eating dinner together tonight, Omi?" In a quieter voice since they were within earshot of strangers, he added unhappily, "I thought we were eating together later."

Offering an apologetic smile since he hadn't meant to confuse the midnight-eyed teen, Omi corrected, "No, we're still having dinner together, Nagi-kun, but I'm too hungry to wait until then without a drink and something little like a box of Pocky or something."

Understanding dawning, Nagi nodded and said, "Oh, all right. I'm glad we're still going out later. Dinner with Crawford and the guys wasn't bad last night for a change, but I prefer to eat with you."

Omi ruthlessly crushed a desire to say aloud just how happy that remark made him and even though his heart was singing in his chest, he merely replied, "I feel the same way about you, Nagi-kun." Stepping up to the counter, he purchased the tickets and before long the two blue-eyed teens were standing in another line at the concession stand.

In front of the two young assassins stood a pair of high school seniors whose uniforms bore the crest of an all-male private academy which had quite a reputation for particularly outgoing young men many of whom were gay as well as quite handsome. [1] The older teens were definitely worthy of being called "bishounen" and as the taller of the two flipped a lengthy ponytail of lustrous reddish-black hair over his shoulder, it unexpectedly brushed Omi's cheek. 

Fearing he'd offended someone older than himself--the only type of people he particularly concerned himself with usually--the senior turned and said, "Oh, I'm sorry about that. I was trying to get it out of my…" His words trailed off as he gazed openly at the cute, innocent looking blond in front of him whose dark blue silk shirt made him look utterly delicious and somewhat vulnerable in his eyes. Deliberately wetting his lips with his tongue suggestively, he added, "But then again, it's nice to have an excuse to speak to someone as adorable as you obviously are."

Brushing his hand across the place where the hair had touched him, Omi initially missed the teen's apparent interest in him and he just shrugged and smiled as he said, "That's okay. No harm done." 

Standing nearby and watching the brief conversation, Nagi felt a strange, totally novel sensation building inside himself. It was a feeling of annoyance that bordered on anger towards the older teen whose behavior reminded him of Schuldich when he was trying to distract Crawford enough to stop doing paperwork and vanish with him into their bedroom. Jealousy and Naoe Nagi rarely had anything to do with one another, but at that moment, the so-called green-eyed monster was on the rise.

Reaching out to brush his own fingertips across Omi's cheek as if to remove a strand of hair left behind, the taller boy was about to add another pick-up line when his own companion elbowed him forcefully.

The shorter of the two seniors said pointedly, "Leave the jailbait alone, baka. Here," he shoved a drink at his misbehaving boyfriend roughly. Then he said to Omi, "Sorry about that. He's a complete moron."

"No problem," Omi said with a smile so false it almost hurt and then he placed orders for himself and his friend who had remained silent throughout the brief scene.

Nagi, however, was far from inactive and as his eyes darkened ever so slightly, the too-forward senior suddenly found his cup of soft drink far too heavy to hold. With a slight telekinetic nudge, the container of icy beverage slipped then spilled all over the front of the teen's pants, drenching him in a specific area in an act of orchestrated poetic justice.

"Oh, fuck!!" The teen exclaimed angrily then his eyes went impossibly wide and he yanked at the front of his pants proclaiming loudly, "Damn!! It's cold! Too cold!!" 

Every eye in the theater's lobby was on him and if it wasn't for his companion's quick thinking to throw a jacket around his waist as he tried in vain to get the ice off his most sensitive skin, the reddish-black haired teen could've been in even bigger trouble.

"You idiot!!" The shorter senior snapped even as his partner whimpered and sounded less than happy with the way a few ice cubes seemed to be clinging to the fabric covering his groin against the laws of gravity.

After a theater manager rushed over and escorted the two high school students to a secluded office to deal with the situation, the room was filled with nervous laughter. 

Like almost everyone else, Omi was giggling a little at the flirtatious youth's misfortune but when he turned intending to hand Nagi a box of Lucky Mini-Almond Pocky, he noted something he would never have expected in the telekinetic's eyes, a smug look of satisfaction. [2] Mouth slightly agape due to shock, he leaned over and whispered, "did *you* do that, nagi-kun?"

"maybe," Nagi whispered back and then added hotly, "he deserved that, omi, for shamelessly flirting with you like that."

A smile of complete amazement and delight spread across genki features and as he handed the box to Nagi, Omi deliberately brushed his fingers over those of his friend silently expressing his thanks. 

Not one to miss an opportunity to respond in kind, Nagi tangled their fingers together ever so briefly then pulled them away, box of sweets in hand. 

Within a few minutes, the two assassins were happily ensconced in plush chairs in a well appointed movie theater quietly chatting and sharing their snacks. Soon thereafter, the auditorium darkened and trailers for various coming attractions began to run. Both boys thought the promo for the second "Saiyuki" movie looked good, but the one for a "Sailor Moon" live action musical looked egregious. [3] They quietly laughed as most of those present seemed to agree. 

Once the feature presentation began, the audience hushed and even as the latest from one of Japan's most distinguished animation companies splashed itself in vivid color across the screen, two shy youths sat side by side wishing separately that he had the nerve to reach for the other's hand. Sadly, neither of them found the courage to do so and hence they merely stole touches under the excuse of wanting a piece of the other's Pocky or a sip of his drink. 

Considering the fact that they were both accomplished assassins, expert computer hackers, and brilliant tacticians, they were dreadfully uncertain about something so simple. But that hesitation would soon be a thing of the past and never again would they have to endure the pain of being so close and yet so far. 

*****

To be continued.

Author's Notes:

[1] Please be advised that the two unnamed seniors are mere original characters with no specific point of origin and will not be back later in case anyone was worried. They are only here to answer the question, "What might happen if a young telekinetic experiencing the first hints of love were to see someone flirting with his love interest?"

[2] Lucky Mini-Almond Pocky is a product of the Glicko company and is terribly cute little half-size lengths of Pocky cracker coated in chocolate then covered in crushed, toasted almonds. The pieces taste good but are awfully small and rather more expensive than the more common varieties, hence it is exactly the sort of thing Omi would chose for his kawaii best friend.

[3] Regarding the movie trailers the guys watched, well, all I will say is that they are totally fictional and one of them I would dearly love to see and the other I would utterly dread being forced to endure. I think anyone who reads my stories can tell which is which, right? 

Please be advised: Parts 21 & 22 will be posted together.

Posted: 05 April 2003 ~12:55am EST


	22. The Date: Dinner and a Sweet Goodbye

****

Title: Neutral Territory [part 22/?]

Author: Enigma

Written: begun October, 2001 

Rating: R 

Pairings: (Omi + Nagi) (Yohji + Ken) (Brad + Schu) 

Category: Shonen ai/Yaoi Angst Friendship Romance Action Violence. AU-OOC. Giftfic.

Archive: fanfiction.net & mediaminer.org [author: "E-sama the Llama"] plus Wuffie.net [author: "Enigma"]

Warnings: shonen ai/yaoi, angst, masculine friendship in many forms, various levels of romance, action, coarse language, whiffs of citrus but nothing detailed, possibly graphic violence, bloodshed, tiny bits of humor, fluff, and sap; more warnings will be added as necessary. AU-OOC. Giftfic for Rubious.

Spoilers: Aya's sister's condition and a few other small things, nothing major.

Disclaimer: "Weiss Kreuz" is the property of Koyasu Takehito and Project Weiss. All original characters featured herein (including but not limited to: Glocksten, Charon, etc.) are © Enigma, 2003, and are not to be used without permission. This unauthorized work of fanfiction is intended for entertainment only; kindly do not sue me.

Notes: Omi's first trip to the public library results in an unexpected meeting when Nagi saves his life without being aware of the Weiss archer's identity. Can two lonely teens overcome the limits of their dark purpose in life to find friendship and possibly love in the midst of "neutral territory"? 

//thoughts// 

{{mental speech}}

*****

Friday late afternoon into late evening. The streets of Tokyo and then a restaurant. 

*****

When the movie ended, Omi had the opportunity to give Nagi a ride on his bike for the first time and that was a lot of fun for them both. 

The Schwarz telekinetic had never ridden a motorcycle before and understandably clung to Omi for dear life as they made their way to a quiet little American-style diner quite a ways from the theater. [1] Enjoying the pressure and warmth of the too-slender body pressed against his own, the blond was silently grateful once more to Ken who had insisted that "Xavier" use his helmet for during their date that day. 

Arriving at the restaurant, Omi regretted that the ride hadn't lasted longer, but as he dismounted and turned to offer Nagi a hand off the machine, he saw an uncharacteristic openly delighted smile playing on the edges of his companion's lips which made him all the happier. "Did you enjoy that, Nagi-kun?" he asked hopefully while imagining the two of them going for long rides someday, enjoying the change of seasons and spending time pressed close together.

Pulling Ken's helmet off and not realizing how it had left his sable hair attractively mussed, the midnight-eyed boy replied animatedly, "Yes, Omi! That was a lot more fun than I ever imagined it could be!" Throttling back on his enthusiasm since he felt that he was showing far too much emotion, he added more sedately, "It was more invigorating even than riding in Schu's Porsche, and that's saying quite a lot since he tends to drive like a bat out of hell."

The cerulean-eyed boy laughed lightly and answered, "Yeah, I should have guessed that he wouldn't be the type to drive a sedan and follow the speed limit, come to think of it." Even as he placed his own helmet onto the bike before reaching for the one his companion held, he asked, "Is this all right for dinner, Nagi-kun? I thought maybe something a little different might be nice."

Barely aware of their location and certainly not caring what he had for a meal as long as he ate it in the company of the young man whose presence meant more and more to him, Nagi glanced at the restaurant and nodded, "This is fine, Omi. I've never eaten somewhere like this, though. What's good?"

"Oh, almost everything is good here! They've got lots of hot sandwiches and plenty of variety, but it's mostly western style cooking. I guess I wondered if you liked that or not," Omi's gentle smile indicated that it wasn't going to be hot and spicy the way that Nagi had said he preferred his food, but as long as there was Tobasco sauce around it ought to be all right. 

"Anything is fine with me," Nagi answered with an indifferent shrug, yet he meant every word. 

"Super!" The genki assassin replied, then reached out to finger-comb Nagi's mussed hair saying with a gentle expression, "Mind if I fix this for you, Nagi-kun? Ken-kun's helmet seems to have played with your hair a little too much."

A slight warmth filled pale cheeks and Nagi discovered for the first time how pleasant it was to feel the archer's strong fingers performing such a caring gesture. Dark blue eyes slid partially shut ever so briefly as he enjoyed the attentions of his friend which he encouraged by saying, "Please? I don't have a comb with me to fix it."

Omi's reply was heartfelt as he said quietly, "It'll be my pleasure." The sensation of silky hair slipping beneath his fingers was far more wonderful than the touch of rose petals or the pleasant feeling of ribbons in his hands when making floral arrangements at the Koneko.

The pair might've remained the way that they were, except a minivan filled with a young family arrived and children noisily climbed from it exclaiming that they wanted pancakes for dinner.

Shaken from his delightful reverie, Omi quickly withdrew his hand from Nagi's hair and suggested, "Let's go on in, okay, Nagi-kun?" 

With an attractive soft pink blush remaining on his alabaster cheeks, the fifteen year old agreed with a theoretically emotionless expression that failed to hide the smile Omi knew was in his heart when Nagi said, "Sure, Omi."

Once again, they both ached to take the other's hand yet didn't and before long they were ensconced in the decidedly non-Asian diner, eating food that was far less healthy than traditional Japanese cuisine was. 

*****

Friday later in the evening. An unnamed, American-style restaurant.

*****

An hour or so after their arrival at the restaurant, the two teens sat together enjoying cups of after dinner coffee and conversation. 

They spoke of many things, some serious, some less so. For quite awhile they talked about what school was like at the private academy Nagi attended as compared to the public one Omi went to. Surprisingly, they decided each had its strengths as well as its weaknesses, but the bottom line they arrived at was that they wished they went to the same school regardless of its nature. Neither thought that this seemingly unattainable dream could ever come to pass, but neither could see the future the way that Crawford could and they were drawing conclusions that might be false. 

Despite the length and breadth of their conversation, one crucial topic sadly went without appropriate discussion. Based on their original agreement to not talk about Weiss and Schwarz when they were together, the two young assassins never once broached the subject of their conflicting night lives. Because of this sin of omission, they missed an opportunity to develop a plan to avoid facing one another on the urban battlefield in the future, an error that would bring sorrow to more people than just themselves.

Instead of covering this important matter, Omi summoned up his courage and admitted to Nagi that he'd slipped and mentioned "Xavier" by name to his teammates. To his surprise, the anticipated condemnation for this never came since the telekinetic was actually flattered that the archer cared enough about him to even be talking about him to the men that he lived and worked with. When Nagi mentioned this, Omi laughed with relief and then went on to tell his friend far more about what life in the private rooms above the Koneko was really like than he ever had before. 

What was mundane daily life to Omi sounded like an unattainable utopian ideal to Nagi. 

The very idea that the people around Omi cared so deeply for him filled Nagi's heart with longing for something even vaguely similar since he remained completely unaware of the true depths of affection his own teammates felt for him. If he had been told that just that morning, Crawford and Schuldich had been discussing how best to protect him and the unknown person he'd become fond of, Nagi would've refused to believe it. The often strict American confused him and the annoying German seemed to live to torment him, so the idea that they could wish to give him a better life would have seemed ludicrous to him. 

Just as Nagi was about to wistfully express a desire to live the way that Omi did even if only for a day, the restaurant's manager came to their table and refilled their mugs. With a kind smile, he made sure that they were content and then left them alone once more.

After carefully sipping the piping hot, fresh coffee, Nagi shyly commented, "Omi? I don't know if I should say this or not, but this has been the most wonderful week of my life." His dark eyes peered at the boy sitting across from him while hoping that he hadn't said something dreadfully insecure, yet he wanted to somehow express the fact that Omi's presence in his life had made a tedious existence much more tolerable.

Warm smile brightening incrementally, Omi agreed yet inquired, "I feel the same way, Nagi-kun, but why do you think you shouldn't say it? It's the truth, so why not share it?"

With a sigh since for as much of his short and troubled life as he could remember, every time something good came to him it was torn away shortly thereafter, Nagi explained, "I don't want to jinx it, Omi. We really only met each other for real on Monday and now it's Friday and I'm afraid that if I say aloud that I'm happy, this will all disappear."

Hoping his gesture wouldn't be rejected, Omi reached across the table and placed a warm, reassuring hand on one of Nagi's and gave it a gentle squeeze as he promised, "I won't 'disappear', Nagi-kun." Keeping his hand where it was to lend weight to his words, he added truthfully, "Having those bookshelves fall on me at the library is probably the best thing that ever happened to me, actually. You're the best friend my own age that I have ever had, and I don't intend to lose that."

Pleased by the warm direct contact and wishing that he was brave enough to turn his hand so that they were holding hands more properly, Nagi responded with surprise, "Really? You think of me that way? As a 'best friend'?"

"Absolutely!" Omi's smile shifted slightly and there was a sense of defiant determination in his expression as he explained, "Despite the fact that the guys are all really great and I couldn't ask for better people to work or live with, they really don't understand teenager stuff like you do, Nagi-kun. Yohji-kun doesn't really remember high school, Ken-kun dropped out to play soccer professionally, and Aya-kun just doesn't talk much. You're the only person I've ever met who understands *both* sides of my life and I really treasure that."

Nagi felt his façade dropping away and for once he did nothing to stop its fall when he deliberately chose to bring a sincere, grateful smile to lips that were becoming more accustomed to the show of emotion as he replied, "Thank you for telling me that, Omi. I was afraid that I was the only one of the two of us who felt that way."

Realizing what the telekinetic was trying to say was something even deeper, Omi leaned forward and said very softly, "now neither of us is alone anymore, nagi-kun. let's never lose that, okay?"

Having shifted forward automatically when his friend wished to say something confidentially to him, Nagi found that the marvelously disconcerting sensation of Omi's warm breath on his skin was effecting him at levels he hadn't been aware of before. A subtle rotation of his wrist allowed him to wrap his fingers around Omi's hand and while giving it a gentle squeeze as if sealing a contract, Nagi whispered back, "i'd like nothing better, omi. it would be great to be able to be friends forever."

Midnight met cerulean and as the two teens clasped hands for a moment, their thoughts flowed in parallel without even realizing it. 

Each of them silently amended their agreement with unspoken desires for something more than friendship between them, something closer to the love that was beginning to blossom between them. Yet the understandable fear of rejection that all teenagers feel when trying to decide whether or not to risk friendship for a romantic relationship that might not work out held them back.

They both realized that the dangers of their lives as assassins wouldn't vanish simply because they had found someone who would suffer if either of them was injured or worse. Neither wanted to even imagine the amount of agony they could share if, for example, Omi was injured and Nagi couldn't come to see him since the other members of Weiss certainly couldn't be expected to allow a member of Schwarz into their presence on a moment's notice. The reverse was even more unthinkable and it was small comfort that Nagi was far less likely to be injured in battle than Omi was thanks to the personal shield his telekinesis provided him with.

Even as they sat back into their seats when the check was brought to the table and their hands separated all too suddenly, both of them realized that fate had stacked the deck against them and to hope for more than mere friendship was most likely a losing proposition. But fools rush in where angels fear to tread, and they wordlessly agreed to be fools who would disregard fate's preferences and they would try to forge a bond between them all the same.

Once the bill was paid and the pair had made their way outside to say goodbye, night had fallen heavily and even though the street lights illuminated the quiet area surrounding the diner, Omi felt apprehensive and said so, "I *really* wish I could drive you home, Nagi-kun." Peering up at an ominous sky whose stars and moon were hidden behind thick clouds, he added with a frown, "It's awfully dark out tonight. I'd like to be sure you got home safely."

Wishing to bring back the sweet smile that he was now addicted to, Nagi remarked with gentle sarcasm, "I *am* an assassin, Bombay, or did you forget?" Trying to bolster his words, he added less playfully, "I dare say getting back to the penthouse won't be much of a risk for me."

Failing to comprehend the intent behind his companion's words, Omi replied seriously, "I'm an assassin, too, Nagi-kun, but the random nature of street crime can catch up to either of us at a moment's notice, you know."

Thoughts of his bleak childhood on the streets and the many horrible times that exact thing had occurred previously swam through Nagi's mind unbidden, leaving behind a cold, deathlike chill in his heart even as his face truly did go blank and his eyes lost their joy.

Realizing his error, Omi didn't hesitate for a moment as he reached out and captured one of Nagi's hands in both of his own, hoping the warmth of his touch might bring the telekinetic out of whatever dark place he'd gone to as he apologized, saying, "I'm sorry, Nagi-kun. I shouldn't have said that. Please forgive me for being so insensitive."

Startled a little since usually no one apologized to him for much of anything, Nagi blinked and some of the emptiness left his expression when he sighed and answered sadly, "Don't worry about it, Omi. That's all in the past." Seeing that the blond wasn't sure, he explained quietly, "It really is okay. I didn't have powers back then or the ability to defend myself. I've got both now, so don't worry."

Unconvinced yet unwilling to gainsay his companion, Omi replied slowly, "Well, I'll admit you can beat even me in a fight, Nagi-kun, and I'm not usually defeated, so you'll no doubt be just fine. However," he squeezed his hands firmly around the thin one he refused to release if he didn't have to as he added, "I can't promise not to worry."

The last tendrils of chill fell away from Nagi as he felt the physical as well as emotional strength of the seventeen year old who was changing him at the deepest levels. With a cautious smile of his own, he placed his other hand atop Omi's and said sincerely, "Neither can I, Omi. After all, you are indeed a formidable opponent in battle, but you don't have an ability to block bullets the way that I can."

"This is true," Omi admitted. Then with a tiny shrug of his shoulders, he added playfully in his own attempt to lighten the mood, "But I'm often at greater risk of being glomped to death by Ouka and her pals at the flower shop than I am while working my 'other' job!" 

Realizing what his friend was trying to accomplish and supporting it, Nagi rolled his eyes dramatically and grumbled, "Ugh. Girls make me crazy. How can you stand it?"

Before Omi could respond, a noisy group of office ladies who were stopping by for dinner after work approached the restaurant and the two boys dropped their hands so as to not draw unwanted attention to themselves. 

Laughing a little in response to the sable-haired youth's aversion to females and then smiling, Omi admitted, "They're not so bad, Nagi-kun. But speaking of the shop, unfortunately, I have to work all day tomorrow and into the evening since it's Saturday." With a tiny sigh since he'd rather spend another day with the friend who he knew couldn't even drop by to visit him for fear of being recognized, he explained, "The guys were great about covering for my afternoon shifts this week, so I can't really get out of it."

"I understand," Nagi said reassuringly, then added hopefully, "I'll miss you, but maybe we can chat online over the weekend?"

"I'll miss you, too, Nagi-kun, but chatting would be good," Omi answered even as he wondered if Aya might select a time for an assassination attempt that might interfere with spending time together even in that limited fashion. Knowing that Weiss never struck by day gave him an idea, however, and he suggested, "Maybe we could meet at the park again on Sunday afternoon? I've got opening shift that day, but after Yohji-kun replaces me, I ought to be free."

Shaking his head sadly, Nagi commented, "No, I probably shouldn't do that." There wasn't even the vaguest concern about the mission Crawford had mentioned for Saturday night as he explained, "I've been drawing too much attention to myself at home lately. It would probably be best if I do my 'don't bother me I'm a petulant teenager' routine and just hide in my room for the most part over the weekend."

Less than thrilled to hear yet another example of the unacceptable suppression his friend seemed to face at home, Omi bit back a remark that if Schwarz treated him so badly, why didn't Nagi leave and substituted, "Well, that sounds awful, but I understand, Nagi-kun. I'll plan to make sure to be online Sunday afternoon so we can at least chat, okay?"

Grateful, Nagi replied, "That would be nice, Omi. On Monday I can go wherever I want to after school so we can see each other again then, right?"

"Sounds great!" Omi said sincerely. Knowing it was time to say farewell for several days, the Weiss tactician found himself faced with a sudden and overwhelming wish to reestablish physical contact with his friend at least once more before they parted. With understandable hesitation, he gazed at the boy who had preferred not to be touched and held his hands out at his sides asking with a gesture what his words failed to explain fully when he inquired, "May I, Nagi-kun?"

Confused, Nagi looked at his friend for a moment yet couldn't interpret the body language, so he asked in turn, "May you what, Omi?"

When the blond realized that something as wonderful and reassuring as a hug was an alien concept to the sable-haired youth, Omi felt a pang of sorrow and then he explained, "I wanted to give you a hug goodbye, Nagi-kun. But if you'd rather not…?" His words trailed off inquiringly yet deep inside a voice cried out that this was all the more reason the too-slender boy needed an embrace.

Nagi's eyes went wide in the darkness and then, terribly slowly, Nagi moved towards his friend admitting quietly, "I don't remember the last time anyone asked to hug me, Omi." A vague recollection of the lightning fast embrace Omi had given him in the park came to mind and he knew that he wanted this yet had no idea how to accept it and said so, "I don't quite know what to do." 

In actuality, Nagi had been held against the bodies of far too many people in his young life. But that had all happened prior to Crawford rescuing him from the streets and the heavens knew none of those who had clasped him tightly to themselves while abusing his child's body had ever felt for him what this one gentle soul did. Granted, he couldn't remember nights when he was ill or suffering from dreadful flashbacks when any one of his three teammates had held him in his sleep letting their strength wash away the tremors until he could sleep without dreams.

Nodding his understanding of Nagi's words and again never even considering judging him as so many others might, Omi answered quietly in comforting tones, "It's really easy, Nagi-kun. If you don't mind, I'd be very happy to show you how." His hands remained spread wide until the smaller boy stepped quite close in silent indication that he did indeed want this new experience. 

Nagi's hands remained loosely at his sides even as Omi cautiously placed first one and then the other of his own around his friend and drew Nagi close enough that their chests made contact lightly. As a warm yet tentative pressure pressed against his own back, Omi whispered encouragingly, "yes, nagi-kun, just like that."

"ah, i can see why you like doing this, omi," Nagi whispered back and for only a moment, he let his head rest against the older teen's shoulder in a wordless expression of thanks for this amazing new sensation. 

Emboldened, Omi went one step further and clasped the fragile seeming boy to himself with only the barest of fractions of the power that he and his teammates embraced one another with when they needed to share strength or joy and during that moment they both felt transformed. 

Standing there in the darkness, two unique young men with more sorrow between them than most adults could ever have borne, clung to one another. They soon found that they now felt more complete, more true to who they were meant to be than they ever had been in their short lives. 

Deciding to follow his heart, Omi chose to take a greater risk than a mere hug and turned towards where Nagi's forehead rested, intending to drop the lightest of kisses onto the younger boy's cheek. 

Nagi, however, felt the motion and interpreted it to mean that Omi wished to end the embrace and lifted his head while turning to face the older boy to thank him for showing him how wonderful a hug could feel. 

The two teens' unanticipated motions brought about a minor miracle, however. As Omi's pursed mouth approached where a silken cheek had been, it encountered instead gentle lips as innocent regarding kisses as Nagi's body was about hugs and for a fraction of a second they kissed.

When they both realized what had happened, they each took a step backwards ending the hug yet when they both blushed and looked down in embarrassment, neither wanted it to end this way. As their heads rose once more, Nagi peered at his friend as if seeking an answer from his soul and Omi did the same. Each found the response he'd not dared to hope for at the same moment and without words or hesitation, they stepped back into each other's arms more boldly, embracing warmly as their lips came together carefully once more.

The kiss they shared was sweet and infinitely tender. Though ultimately as chaste as any kiss could be, it was not brief neither was it something either wished to end. When their mouths were needed for the simple function of breathing once more, they separated only enough so that they rested against each other in a tighter embrace. Omi and Nagi merely leaned upon each other and shared strength as well as an undeniable fondness that had already begun to stretch the definition of "best friend". 

For each of them, the kiss was a true "first" since Nagi's sad past experiences could no more relate to this than they had to the hug and Omi's few kisses prior to this had been shared with those he saw as family. The depth of emotion that could be transmitted through such a non-invasive, non-probing kiss was much higher than some people might believe which was as much of an explanation for their breathless conditions as anything else. 

Their parting after this was a nearly silent thing as the youngest member of Schwarz flagged down a passing taxicab and then vanished into the night. The youngest member of Weiss stood beside his motorcycle for a few minutes, then with a happy sigh, he put his helmet on and made his way home to the Koneko no Sumi Ie.

The joy found that Friday night under a starless sky was something both youths would treasure for however long their lives might last. 

Sadly, there are no guarantees that assassins such as themselves would ever remain free of the lingering taint of the blood they had spilled. In fact, sooner rather than later, at least one of them would find that memories of these firsts would change his life forever even as the other was lost in a world of darkness more profound than that which had surrounded them as they kissed. 

*****

To be continued.

Author's Notes:

[1] The unnamed restaurant where Omi and Nagi eat is representative of the many references to ones identical to Denny's that are shown in anime and manga with a single letter change to make it either "Benny's" or "Penny's" or other near duplications. One of my favorite examples of this is "Zenny's" as shown in "Gravitation" where even the menus are identifiable as being direct steals from those of Denny's at the time the anime was created.

[Posting Run Dedication] This evening's pair of chapters featuring kawaii teens whose love is beginning to show is hereby dedicated to an excellent friend with whom I share a number of fandoms, the ever darling Francine! She's incredibly tolerant of my notorious difficulty answering email, enjoys the same styles of stories that I do, and above all else, she never fails to provide my muses with the sweetest of ambrosias in the form of encouraging words. I wish I could say for sure how many anime we both like and how long we've been in contact online, but I can't since my memory is like Swiss cheese and has too many holes in it. I just know it's been awhile and that makes her an especially important friend, one of the "golden" ones, as the old campfire song goes. Thanks again for everything, Francine, and I hope you enjoyed tonight's addition to my latest WK angst epic!

Please be advised: Parts 21 & 22 will be posted together.

Posted: 05 April 2003 ~12:55am EST


	23. An Angst Filled Evening at the Koneko

Welcome once again to the Angst Theatre's debut performance of "Neutral Territory". 

In tonight's bonus-sized three chapter posting run, we begin to descend into a darker mood as Omi and Nagi return home following their date to discover things are tense at both teams' headquarters. Then, an angst-filled evening gives way to an anxious morning as the men of Weiss begin to gear up for their mission to locate and destroy Glocksten and Charon. 

I'd like to begin my list of friends to thank for their support with the incredibly wonderful reviewers at ff.net, a list that includes: Kyra, Carter Tachikawa, Keimei, Midori, Shaynie, Chisa Yume, Taline, and The 5th Muse. These fine friends are responsible for helping NT surpass the 150 review mark recently and I just wanted to give them all due thanks and honor right off the bat. Believe it or not, there were two reviews added at MM.org recently, one from my darling Yanagi-sen and the other from Angel who I know as "esm" over in the LJ world. To my astonishment, the hit counts for the fic there have rocketed up to 531 and that's wonderful, too. Last but never least, some other folks who let me know they enjoyed the chapters included: Francine (who loved her dedication), Wataruo, Anna Hibiki, Nalan Li, Yanagi-sen, Michelle, Ryoko, Rubious, and probably a few I missed in my insane rush to try to get this ready tonight. My deepest appreciation goes to all these wonderful readers and my muses and I will endeavor to continue to entertain them as best as we are able. 

Now, without further ado, I will step aside and let the story speak for itself. 

Enjoy the Angst!

~~~Enigma~~~

(who searching for good "Weiss Kreuz" icons for his LJ and if anyone reading this can offer any or share a link to some, the llama would be quite grateful)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

****

Title: Neutral Territory [part 23/?]

Author: Enigma

Written: begun October, 2001 

Rating: R 

Pairings: (Omi + Nagi) (Yohji + Ken) (Brad + Schu) 

Category: Shonen ai/Yaoi Angst Friendship Romance Action Violence. AU-OOC. Giftfic.

Archive: fanfiction.net & mediaminer.org [author: "E-sama the Llama"] plus Wuffie.net [author: "Enigma"]

Warnings: shonen ai/yaoi, angst, masculine friendship in many forms, various levels of romance, action, coarse language, whiffs of citrus but nothing detailed, possibly graphic violence, bloodshed, tiny bits of humor, fluff, and sap; more warnings will be added as necessary. AU-OOC. Giftfic for Rubious.

Spoilers: Aya's sister's condition and a few other small things, nothing major.

Disclaimer: "Weiss Kreuz" is the property of Koyasu Takehito and Project Weiss. All original characters featured herein (including but not limited to: Glocksten, Charon, etc.) are © Enigma, 2003, and are not to be used without permission. This unauthorized work of fanfiction is intended for entertainment only; kindly do not sue me.

Notes: Omi's first trip to the public library results in an unexpected meeting when Nagi saves his life without being aware of the Weiss archer's identity. Can two lonely teens overcome the limits of their dark purpose in life to find friendship and possibly love in the midst of "neutral territory"? 

//thoughts// 

{{mental speech}}

*****

Friday night. Various locations in the Koneko.

*****

Despite the heavy clouds clogging the skies over Tokyo, Omi was able to make it home without rain interfering with his journey and as he parked his motorcycle behind the Koneko, he wondered in passing what else his night might bring. In all honesty, the movie and dinner with Nagi had seemed more than enough, but adding the hug and then a kiss as well had left him feeling as if he'd been given a king's ransom in joy and he didn't dare to ask for more.

Stepping into the back of the flower shop and glancing around the darkened store, he noted how still and peaceful everything was. Enjoyable though the sweet, floral-scented air around him was, it was almost too quiet.

"Where is everyone?" Omi asked himself, then shrugged and decided not to worry about it as he put his helmet and keys in their usual spot. He made his way first to the kitchen and then upstairs to the bedrooms, continuing to wonder where his teammates were.

As he walked past first Yohji's and then Ken's rooms and noticed that they were both conspicuously empty, he correctly assumed that the two lovers had gone out for the evening, most likely dancing to keep from dwelling on the upcoming mission. What gave him a more significant surprise was the fact that Aya's room was dark and desolate as well.

"Did Yohji-kun and Ken-kun *finally* convince Aya-kun to go out with them?" Omi wondered aloud before making his way into his own room intending to change clothes. With a small sigh, he added thoughtfully, "Poor Aya-kun. He's not doing well lately. I know how hard it is for him to be patient about tracking down Glocksten and Charon, but he also seems lonely. He'd probably never admit it, but I think he really needs to find someone special, too."

The blonde's rhetorical remarks lead him to think about the "someone special" in his own life and a gentle, loving smile grew on his lips as Nagi's smiling face filled his inner field of vision. 

After changing into a warm pair of sweatpants and a long sleeved T-shirt, Omi decided to wash the silk shirt Ken had loaned him intending to return it even though the former J-league player had already indicated it no longer fit him. On his way to the laundry room in the basement, Omi belatedly felt a little guilty about having his cell phone off during his date with Nagi and he wondered if he'd missed any important information that might explain the absence of the team's field leader. 

"I hope Aya-kun didn't try to call me earlier," Omi sighed to himself as he approached the top of the spiral staircase that lead to the living room-cum-headquarters area. An unexpected sound reached his ears and he cocked his head as he asked the air around him, "Who's down there listening to my Metallica CD? I didn't think anyone liked that but me and *I* only like it when I'm feeling depressed anyway."

Curiosity piqued, Omi descended and as he got barely low enough to lean down and peek at whomever was there, he was surprised to see Aya sitting hunched over the coffee table eyes closed and clearly very tired or possibly upset about something. Hurrying up, he made his way to the floor and stepped close to the swordsman who had apparently failed to hear him and he reached out to touch his friend's shoulder as he asked, "Aya-kun? Is something wrong?"

Too exhausted to even startle in response to the unexpected touch, Aya lifted his head slowly and then sighed before saying in a dead voice, "Oh, welcome home, Omi." He shoved a hand through red hair that needed washing and added, "How was your date?"

Confused as to why his friend hadn't answered the question and more than a little shocked that Aya had inquired about something he didn't think the swordsman even cared about, Omi replied, "It was really nice, Aya-kun, but what's going on? Why are you down here all alone and listening to that?" He didn't need to mention the plaintive strains of "Nothing Else Matters" filling the air, it seemed to saturate their very beings by that point. [1] 

"What?" Aya responded dazedly and then glanced at the computer which was currently performing the role of CD player as much as anything else. With a negligent shrug, he answered almost darkly, "It suited my mood, I guess. As to why I'm alone, why do you think?"

There was the vaguest hint of regret in the other assassin's voice that gave Omi pause since he'd already surmised the truth about the two lovers himself. Yet there was a distinct element of sadness or something more in Aya's words and manner which confused him. After setting the silk shirt aside for the moment, he went to sit in the chair across from Aya and inquired carefully, "Well, I assume the others went out, Aya-kun, but what's happened? Why are you so, um, I don't know, angry? Upset? Sad, maybe?"

Moving to lean against the back of the couch tiredly, Aya let his eyes drift closed again since he didn't really want to see Omi's reaction when he told him about the latest development in the case that was frustrating him endlessly. With a heavy sigh, he explained, "There's been another kidnapping, Omi. A pair of sixth-grade twin girls vanished yesterday and the case has the stench of that bastard Glocksten all over it." Still blinded by his own eyelids, he shook his head and added remorsefully, "Ken's pretty upset about it. They're the same age as some of the kids he coaches and it was all he could do to get through the morning in the shop."

"Oh no!" Omi gasped as his own shoulders slumped as he apologized unnecessarily, "I am *so* sorry to hear that, Aya-kun. I should've found more information on Glocksten by now so we could have stopped him before this."

"You can't find what isn't there, Omi," Aya sighed miserably and dropped an arm over his still closed eyes as a wave of exhaustion rolled over him. A soul-deep sense of weariness emanated from his slender frame as he mentioned as if in passing, "I told Yohji to take Ken out for awhile. I couldn't stand watching him pace anymore." This was a half-truth. What he truly couldn't handle had been the way both Ken and Yohji kept throwing him worried glances and it was clear there were far too many things being left unsaid between the three of them for Aya to cope with at the time.

Nodding to himself and contemplating how best to deal with the increased need to bring the mission to a speedy conclusion, the Weiss tactician suggested, "I'm glad to hear they went out, Aya-kun, it sounds like they needed it. But you seem to need something, too. Why not go get some rest or take a shower or something while I try to see if this newest development might give us a clue we didn't have before?" 

Almost hopeful, Aya allowed his arm to slip aside and he opened bloodshot eyes before he asked, "Do you honestly think something good could come out of that tragedy, Omi? How?"

Offering a guarded yet earnest smile, Omi explained, "I'm not really sure, Aya-kun, but there ought to be a police report on the twins' disappearance and there may be some small fact in it that might make all the difference." He rose to his feet then reached a hand out to the other man and reiterated, "But won't you please go take a break for awhile? Maybe take a hot bath or *something*?"

Accepting the archer's hand briefly and using it to lift himself to unsteady feet, Aya acquiesced, "All right, Omi, I'll go." Scrubbing a hand through lackluster scarlet locks, he grumbled, "Might as well take the shower I never got around to earlier. Good luck on finding some new information in the police files. I'll be back later."

"Don't worry about it, Aya-kun," Omi recommended, then offered, "If I find anything useful, I'll make sure you know about it right away, but it will probably take me awhile to go through all the documents. Kidnapping cases are always so paperwork-heavy."

"True," the swordsman agreed then went back upstairs to the living quarters with far less energy in his strides than normal and leaving behind a dreadfully concerned friend.

Troubled cerulean eyes watched as Aya left the basement with his shoulders drooping and a sense of disquiet in his every motion. Shaking his head as he decided the laundry could wait an indefinite period of time, Omi moved over to the computer and sat down with a sigh before commenting to himself, "I wish I could help Aya-kun more than I can. Maybe I'll talk to Yohji-kun and Ken-kun and see what they think might help?" Switching out the melancholy CD for something more upbeat, he added with a soft smile, "Or maybe I'll ask Nagi-kun about it online later." 

Nimble fingers flew across the keyboard as Bombay accessed the report on the missing twins. It was indeed quite lengthy and he hadn't even gotten through half of it before the first of several long hours passed him by. Omi was tenacious and he kept at his work driven by a desire to find something to offer his friend in the hopes that seeing a light at the end of the proverbial tunnel might grant Aya even a few hours of much needed sleep before the night was out.

*****

Friday almost midnight. The basement of the Koneko.

*****

The soft clatter of footsteps on the metal staircase that lead down to the basement alerted Omi that he was about to have a visitor after several long hours of hard work. 

Leaning back in his chair and stretching slightly, the blond turned his head and was surprised to see Aya coming down carrying two plates of something Omi didn't recognize at first. As the violet-eyed man came closer, the unmistakable aroma of cocoa reached his nostrils and with surprise in his voice, he asked, "Are those brownies, Aya-kun? I didn't know we had any of those."

"We didn't," the slender man responded and handed him a plate which was suspiciously warm to the touch. Acting as if it meant nothing to him, he explained, "After my shower, I was bored so I baked some." In truth, Ken had a weakness for the sweet treats and Aya hoped that the teen whose eyes were the same color as the brownies might find some small measure of solace in one whenever he got home. 

"Oh? Fresh *hot* brownies are the best!" Omi enthused and smiled as he broke off a corner and popped it into his mouth. "Yumm! This is really good. Thanks, Aya-kun, I needed a snack."

"Hn," Aya responded noncommittally then asked, "So? Have any luck yet? I assumed there were no major breakthroughs or you would've told me, but I wondered how it was coming."

Frowning despite the delicious taste in his mouth, Omi turned towards the screen and pulled up the flowchart he'd minimized earlier which he'd been using to correlate what little data he'd been able to piece together about Glocksten's quiet reign of terror over the children of Japan. Pointing at several columns on it, he explained, "I might have found something we can use here or here, Aya-kun, but I'm not certain." Scowling more deeply, he added, "Glocksten's awfully unpredictable, yet I was able to determine that there's a slightly higher than 40% correlation between disappearances of children that the police tentatively blame on him and his appearance at various clubs within a night or two thereafter."

"The bastard likes to celebrate, huh?" Aya growled angrily and lost his appetite for the brownie he was barely nibbling on. Setting it aside, he leaned closer to the screen and peered at row after row of notations Omi had painstakingly made and then nodded slowly before saying, "I think this might be just what we needed, Omi. Good work."

"Thanks," the Weiss tactician responded yet remained somewhat disturbed as he glanced at the clock on the screen and shook his head minutely.

"What's wrong?" Aya asked, turning his attention towards the atypically non-genki youth. "This might be the breakthrough we need to bring these bastards down, Omi, why are you unhappy about it?"

"It's not that, Aya-kun," Omi rushed to reassure. Then with a sad sigh, he admitted, "It's just that I expected Xavier to be online tonight, but he never showed up. I hope he made it home all right."

Recalling the earlier discussion about how the boy who had apparently stolen the youngest member of Weiss' heart lived with people who might not readily accept Omi, Aya frowned as well and then asked, "Can't you call him?"

"No," Omi shook his head and explained sadly, "he never gave me a phone number." 

Tired enough to continue the uncharacteristic conversation about something as simple as a failed online rendezvous, Aya then suggested, "Why not go check on him, then?" Years of training in stealth had to count for something and if anyone could get past some uncooperative family members or roommates, Bombay certainly could.

With an unhappy shake of his head, Omi admitted, "I don't even know where he lives, Aya-kun. The same goes for him about me, I'm afraid. We just never got around to talking about it, I guess."

Aya nodded slightly then said simply, "Well, try not to worry over it too much, Omi. You've been in the police network all evening, if anything serious had happened to him, don't you think you'd have seen something about it there?"

"That's true," Omi agreed, yet deep inside a voice murmured that Tokyo's finest certainly wouldn't have had a clue if Nagi's teammates had discovered who he'd been spending time with lately and decided on retribution for what might easily be interpreted as a betrayal. To cover for the dark thoughts streaming through his mind, he popped another piece of brownie into his mouth and chewed on it thoughtfully.

Now that the minor crisis regarding the absence of Omi's friend online had been dealt with, Aya returned his attention to the computer screen. After barely stifling a yawn of exhaustion, he asked, "What can you tell me about the nightclubs where Glocksten has been sighted in the past, Omi? Can you give me some details I can use to chose between the ones we'd identified before?"

Glad to have something to focus on instead of thinking too much about Nagi and what might have happened to him, Omi replied, "Right now they all seem pretty similar, Aya-kun, but if you like I can do some more digging. Maybe there's a trend I can find that Kritiker missed."

"Sounds good," Aya agreed and then failed to stop another exhausted yawn which left him looking as tired as he had been when Omi had first found him in the basement that evening. Even though he thought it would be a fruitless effort, he said with a sigh, "I think I'll go try to get some rest. I'm dead on my feet as it is."

Omi gazed at him with sympathetic eyes and said encouragingly, "I hope you can actually sleep, Aya-kun. I know it's hard for you to do that when there's an unresolved case like this, but if I can help you pick a location for an assassination attempt, we will all need you to be as well rested as you can be." Nervously, he added, "None of us want what happened before to happen again." 

Understanding that the boy was referring to the incident that had left Weiss without its field leader for several weeks, Aya winced and nodded even as more yawns presented themselves. Once he fought down the need for extra oxygen, he nodded and promised, "I'll try, Omi. Do what you can here and get some sleep yourself soon, all right? You're supposed to open the shop with Ken tomorrow morning, remember?"

"I remember," Omi assured then offered a promise of his own, "I'll make sure to leave you a print out of anything I can find that might make choosing a location for the assassination attempt easier, Aya-kun. There will be a folder with everything I can find on the coffee table so you won't have to come looking for me whenever you're ready to work on it more, okay?"

"That'll be fine," Aya gave the youth a solemn though grateful semi-smile then turned and headed back to the stairs offering, "Goodnight, Omi."

"Goodnight, Aya-kun," Omi answered and added, "rest well." There was no reply since the elder assassin was too busy yawning again to have heard him, but this didn't bother the Weiss tactician in the least. Instead, he turned his attention back to narrowing down the hunt for a criminal who they all hoped would lead them to a murderer and he soon lost himself in the depths of the search engines he used to answer the seemingly unanswerable questions he sometimes needed to address.

The night was destined to be a long one and if he'd had even a fragment of foreknowledge of the fact that this was to be the last night he'd spend in his own bed for quite some time to come, Omi might've shifted his search to another target entirely. Even though he'd never bothered to do so before, it wouldn't have been half as difficult as one might assume to track down a supposedly secret base of operations belonging to a rival assassin group and with that information, he might've sought the youth he was so concerned about. 

Prescience, however, remained the sole purview of a certain brown-eyed American and not even Bradley Crawford had a ghost of a hint that Omi's diligence would result in a bloodbath in less than 24 hours. 

*****

To be continued.

Author's Notes:

[1] When I was trying to select a song for Aya to be surrounded by in the melancholy scene in the basement, I turned to Amanda who is my resident expert on such things. Despite the slow, dark melody, the lyrics are actually all too perfectly matched to our resident swordsman whose need to find someone to trust completely is growing stronger and stronger within the context of this story.

Please be advised: Parts 23 - 25 will be posted together.

Posted: 12 April 2003 ~2:15am EDT


	24. A Strange Night for Three Psychics

****

Title: Neutral Territory [part 24/?]

Author: Enigma

Written: begun October, 2001 

Rating: R 

Pairings: (Omi + Nagi) (Yohji + Ken) (Brad + Schu) 

Category: Shonen ai/Yaoi Angst Friendship Romance Action Violence. AU-OOC. Giftfic.

Archive: fanfiction.net & mediaminer.org [author: "E-sama the Llama"] plus Wuffie.net [author: "Enigma"]

Warnings: shonen ai/yaoi, angst, masculine friendship in many forms, various levels of romance, action, coarse language, whiffs of citrus but nothing detailed, possibly graphic violence, bloodshed, tiny bits of humor, fluff, and sap; more warnings will be added as necessary. AU-OOC. Giftfic for Rubious.

Spoilers: Aya's sister's condition and a few other small things, nothing major.

Disclaimer: "Weiss Kreuz" is the property of Koyasu Takehito and Project Weiss. All original characters featured herein (including but not limited to: Glocksten, Charon, etc.) are © Enigma, 2003, and are not to be used without permission. This unauthorized work of fanfiction is intended for entertainment only; kindly do not sue me.

Notes: Omi's first trip to the public library results in an unexpected meeting when Nagi saves his life without being aware of the Weiss archer's identity. Can two lonely teens overcome the limits of their dark purpose in life to find friendship and possibly love in the midst of "neutral territory"? 

//thoughts// 

{{mental speech}}

*****

Friday night. Various locations in the Schwarz penthouse.

*****

Even as Omi was returning to a seemingly empty home, Nagi was walking in on a scene he hadn't wanted to encounter at all since it was certain to ruin the wonderful mood he was in after his marvelous evening with the Weiss archer.

"Don't piss me off again, Schuldich," Crawford growled at the redhead who was smirking delightedly at his own reflection in a mirror while he checked the fit of a skin-tight, gold lamé shirt artfully torn in all the right spots and a pair of almost indecent leather pants.

Sticking his tongue out at the man who he'd been harassing mercilessly out of sheer boredom even as he prepared for a night on the town at Glocksten's expense, the German responded cockily, "Why don't you stop me if you don't like it, Crawfish?" [1] 

"Asshole," Crawford responded, refusing to be dragged into his lover's idea of fun even as they were getting ready for an assignment handed down to them from the highest levels of Estet. His own idea of "clubwear" was as boring as one might expect, nothing more daring than a rarely worn pair of jeans with a monotonous button-down shirt sans necktie plus a rather professorial looking jacket. 

"Bastard," Schuldich replied. He then turned and greeted the newcomer by proclaiming, "Ah, fresh meat! Naggles, where *have* you been, chibi? You're late. Again." He glided towards the Japanese boy like a cobra searching for prey and the telekinetic took an involuntary step back.

"I don't answer to you, Schuldich!" Nagi snarled, trying to sound confident as he changed the subject and asked Crawford, "Where's Farfarello? You're headed out, I assume. Is he going with you?" The incident earlier that day which lead to the Irishman being sedated had occurred after he'd left for school, so he was understandably confused.

"He's locked up and asleep at the moment, Nagi," Crawford explained and added with an unwitting sigh, "Hopefully we caught an episode early enough that he won't become incapable of functioning, but for now, we need a third member on an assignment tonight. Go and change into something less severe than that uniform so we can leave."

"But I thought I didn't have to go on a mission until tomorrow, Crawford," Nagi complained, before immediately wishing that he hadn't said anything when Schuldich's green eyes narrowed suspiciously and it was clear he'd just drawn additional unwanted attention to himself. Shoulders slumping in defeat, he agreed with a sigh, "Oh, all right. I'll go change into something appropriate." He'd noticed the other men's clothes and knew what was expected of him as he headed towards his bedroom with an expression of unhappiness barely concealed on his delicate features.

All Nagi had really wanted after his wonderful date with Omi was a nice hot soak in the bathtub and an evening of peaceful online chatting with the genki blond and possibly even going to bed early for a change. The memory of his first real hug and kiss lingered warmly in his heart and if ever there was a night meant to be free of nightmares, this was one of them he was sure of it. Now, however, he'd hurry and change then steal a few minutes to check on Farfarello before the three Schwarz psychics went into the night for whatever unspecified assignment he'd been pulled into unexpectedly. 

Crawford watched the boy that he'd rescued so long ago disappear from view and with a sigh of his own, he shook his head and walked back to the suite he shared with his lover intending to exchange the boring jacket for a leather one that would garner fewer stares. He felt more than heard the soft click of the bedroom door closing when Schuldich followed him, instinctually aware of his partner's disquiet. 

"Schu?" Crawford asked thoughtfully, gazing at nothing after slipping his glasses off and massaging his temples, trying to will away the last vestiges of a headache left behind by a pointless precognition about an underwater earthquake in the South China Sea that he had no intention of warning anyone about. Instead, he remained concerned about matters much closer to home as he inquired, "Did you sense anything was wrong with Nagi?"

Moving closer and replacing his lover's hands with his own and allowing simple touch to convey what was in his heart as he eased the tension in Crawford's forehead, Schuldich replied, "Other than the fact that he doesn't want to go out tonight? No, not really, Brad." Noting the frown that tried to mar his partner's face he added tenderly, "Why do you ask, baby? Have another vision?"

Sighing, the precognitive responded, "No, nothing like that." Feeling mildly foolish, he admitted, "Ever since you mentioned that he was becoming romantically involved with someone, I had assumed that he's spending his extra time with whoever it is he's interested in and I'm wondering why it isn't improving his attitude."

"Oh?" Schuldich answered with interest. On the one hand, the idea that Nagi might be going on dates with someone for the first time in his life to their knowledge was certainly fascinating, but on the other, the fact that it wasn't cheering him up much was disturbing. With a small frown, he suggested hesitantly, "Could some of the old emotional scars from before you pulled him off the streets have caused him to hook up with someone who might be taking advantage of him, Brad? I know neither of us wants to see him hurt."

"Agreed, Schu, but I really have no idea what kind of person he's found to be of interest," the American said unhappily. He then reached to place large, warm hands around slender wrists before pulling Schuldich's hands from his forehead and close enough to kiss as he asked silently, {{Could you do a very light check on him for me, love? Don't let him know you're scanning him, all right?}}

{{For you, baby, anything,}} Schuldich responded and then let the weight of his body rest against that of the taller psychic who supported him effortlessly as he sent his powers out in search of the answers they both wanted. 

For his part, Crawford merely stood there, holding Schuldich close and privately cursing the fact that his precognition wasn't something he had any control over whatsoever since if he could selectively see pieces of the future, life would be so much simpler. However, if he'd been able to chose the visions he saw ahead of time, he'd already know the identity of the blue-eyed telekinetic's love interest and that knowledge would've brought about whole new levels of sorrow he had no way of knowing about.

After only a few moments of concerted effort, Schuldich drew himself back into his physical body and with an annoyed huff of breath, he admitted, "I can't get much of anything from the kid other than the fact that he's upset about going out, Brad. His shields are stronger now than I can recall them ever being and if I wasn't sure before whether or not he was hiding something, I'm sure of it now. Most likely it's exactly what we need to know, too. Damn it all." There was little anger in the vindictive and he let himself just rest where he was, head nestled against Crawford's muscular chest for a moment as he gathered his strength once more.

Stroking long, flame red tresses soothingly, Crawford replied, "Try not to worry about it right now, Schu. Plan to keep tabs on him while we're out babysitting that idiot Glocksten tonight and who knows? Maybe Nagi will slip up and let you catch a glimpse later."

Snorting in disgust, Schuldich responded, "You want to know something, Brad? I *really* don't like that jerk Estet insists on us watching over this time around." He moved so he could peer up at his lover's face and when he was gazing eye to eye with Crawford, he added, "He may be from the same country as me and that ought to buy him some points, but I truly detest being forced to protect a child-abuser."

Anger smoldered in mahogany-hued eyes and Crawford remarked, "I couldn't agree with you more, Schu, but we weren't given a choice on this one. Apparently that vain, self-absorbed bastard has connections to Estet that are even better than ours are, so we do what we must."

"I know," the telepath groused, "but every time I look at him and think about what he does to the kids he steals, I remember how shocked I was after you brought Nagi to me that first time. Gods, seeing the marks from the adults who'd taken advantage of him on his tiny little body when I bathed him just messed with my already unstable head, I guess."

Heaving a deep sigh, Crawford regretted all over again that he wasn't as powerful as he preferred to be or they wouldn't be anywhere near a lowlife like Glocksten. Then he said as comfortingly as he could, "At least we've kept Nagi in the dark as to what Glocksten does and if we just keep our wits about us, this ought to all be over soon. Estet wants to relocate him to Osaka and then he'll be some other poor fools' problem, not ours."

"Good," Schuldich muttered then rose onto his tiptoes asking wordlessly for a kiss.

Crawford obliged him willingly and when the brief, tender moment broke, he said with a sigh, "Well, time to go back to the 'real world', love. This was sweet, but we both know it can never last."

"I know," Schuldich replied with a shrug, "but such is life. Let's go be bastards ourselves again, shall we?"

"Why not?" Crawford almost smiled before pulling on a dark leather jacket that earned him a smile of approval from his fashionably dressed partner and added in his usual killer's voice, "After all, it's our stock in trade, now isn't it, Schuldich?"

Pulling the door open and returning them to their public personas, the redhead replied saucily, "Of course it is, Crawford. Nobody's as good at being bad as we are."

Crawford merely rolled his eyes, refused to answer and instead set about the not insignificant task of figuring out where exactly his lover had hidden his car keys earlier as part of his efforts to annoy him within an inch of exploding.

*****

Saturday a few hours before dawn. Nagi's bedroom.

*****

Stumbling into his bedroom in total exhaustion, Nagi fell face first onto his bed and merely lay there for a moment trying to figure out what in the world had been going on all evening.

//What the hell was Schu's problem tonight? I mean, the client--what was his name again? oh, it doesn't matter--talked to me that one time when we first picked him up and then Schu went ballistic. He made Brad pull over and he dragged that guy out of the car and yelled at him in German for five solid minutes! What was he thinking and why didn't Brad stop him?!//

What the telekinetic was unaware of was that Glocksten had taken an immediate and unwholesome interest in him. An interest which he had unwittingly broadcast straight to the telepath who--after relaying a particularly disturbing mental image of the way the hazel-eyed man wanted to "play" with Nagi to Crawford--had then taken it upon himself to inform him in their native tongue that he would sooner see Glocksten dead than let him dangle Nagi naked from a ceiling like a piñata. For the remainder of their time spent going from club to club as the effeminate man sought the perfect mix of music, companionship, and drink, both of the eldest members of Schwarz had protectively watched over the youngest and made sure their client left him alone. 

Rolling over and yawning tiredly, Nagi contemplated the lack of the usual sparring he was accustomed to witnessing between the telepath and the precognitive when on assignments such as this one.

//Come to think of it, never once tonight did Schu wander off to go dance with some nobody just to get a rise out of Brad and Brad didn't badmouth Schu when that German guy pulled him aside to bitch about him. I wonder if they were "talking" privately the whole time like they do around here thinking Farf and I won't notice it?//

Nagi was, of course, quite correct about this assumption, but what he would never have guessed was how much of Crawford's time had been spent trying to keep Schuldich from killing Glocksten outright since the amoral beast's thoughts were like an open sewer to the telepath. Despite not being particularly interested in living a morally upright life, the verdant-eyed psychic had standards beneath which he would not allow himself to fall and the constant flow of things that would've made the most creative and experienced sadist cringe had effected him badly. 

In the end, Crawford had aided his lover in the one way that he alone could and tossed aside many of the restrictions between their private and their public selves and had used every technique in his repertoire to distract Schuldich and to help reinforce the telepath's mental barriers. As Nagi lay there almost too tired to get up and send Omi a note, the two lovers were behind closed doors and Schuldich was doing his level best to show the depths of his gratitude to Crawford, a process the fifteen year old tried not to think about.

Dragging his weary body off of the bed and staggering over to the computer, Nagi slumped down in the chair, waited for the machine to boot up properly, and practically fell asleep waiting for the sign-on screen to appear and grant him access to his email account. Ignoring everything that was not from Omi, he quickly composed a brief note with a gentle smile on his exhausted face.

It read as follows:

__

Will--

Hi. 

(waves at you apologetically)

Sorry to miss you earlier, but the Yank and the Jerry had a job they needed me for tonight. No biggie, just keep some creep out of trouble like usual, but it went _really_ late and I'm totally trashed now. We've got to do the same thing tomorrow, so I probably won't be online then either, unfortunately. 

(frowns and looks most unhappy about it then asks hopefully)

Want to try to get together on Sunday after all? I think I will _really_ need to see a friendly face by then, so give it some thought, okay?

(yawns and says goodbye)

Well, I gotta get to bed now or I might just fall asleep right here. Have a nice day on Saturday and let me know what you think about Sunday. Maybe we can meet at the park again if the weather's nice?

Xavier

While yawning mightily, Nagi read over the note, ignored the fact that it didn't make perfect sense in a place or two, then sent it into the ether of cyberspace. With a careful flicker of telekinetic power he ended his session and shut the machine down once more, then dragged himself back to bed where he merely collapsed before falling into a deep sleep that wouldn't release him until late the following afternoon. 

The diminutive, midnight-eyed youth would never discover the lengths his teammates had gone to in an effort to keep him safe from the worst predator to threaten the children of Tokyo in decades and it was just as well. In less than a day, Nagi would be presented with even more evidence of how Mastermind and Oracle both truly felt about him than he could cope with as things already stood.

*****

To be continued.

Author's Notes:

[1] I can't take credit for Schuldich's insult here. I think that the first fic I read where someone called Brad "Crawfish" was by darling Yanagi-sen and I've wanted to "borrow" it ever since!

Please be advised: Parts 23 - 25 will be posted together.

Posted: 12 April 2003 ~2:15am EDT


	25. An Anxious, Rainy Saturday

****

Title: Neutral Territory [part 25/?]

Author: Enigma

Written: begun October, 2001 

Rating: R 

Pairings: (Omi + Nagi) (Yohji + Ken) (Brad + Schu) 

Category: Shonen ai/Yaoi Angst Friendship Romance Action Violence. AU-OOC. Giftfic.

Archive: fanfiction.net & mediaminer.org [author: "E-sama the Llama"] plus Wuffie.net [author: "Enigma"]

Warnings: shonen ai/yaoi, angst, masculine friendship in many forms, various levels of romance, action, coarse language, whiffs of citrus but nothing detailed, possibly graphic violence, bloodshed, tiny bits of humor, fluff, and sap; more warnings will be added as necessary. AU-OOC. Giftfic for Rubious.

Spoilers: Aya's sister's condition and a few other small things, nothing major.

Disclaimer: "Weiss Kreuz" is the property of Koyasu Takehito and Project Weiss. All original characters featured herein (including but not limited to: Glocksten, Charon, etc.) are © Enigma, 2003, and are not to be used without permission. This unauthorized work of fanfiction is intended for entertainment only; kindly do not sue me.

Notes: Omi's first trip to the public library results in an unexpected meeting when Nagi saves his life without being aware of the Weiss archer's identity. Can two lonely teens overcome the limits of their dark purpose in life to find friendship and possibly love in the midst of "neutral territory"? 

//thoughts// 

{{mental speech}}

*****

Saturday morning. Various locations in the Koneko.

*****

The upbeat rhythms of the latest hit songs by some forgettable J-pop groups filled the air in Omi's bedroom for almost an hour before the usually early riser even heard them.

"Ugh. Shut up, clock!" Omi mumbled sleepily as he groped blindly to stop the offending noise. He hit the snooze button on his clock-radio and drifted right back to sleep just as he had done several times previously. 

Roughly ten minutes later, the noise was back buzzing at his exhausted brain like mosquitoes harassing beach goers in the summer and with another flailing motion, he turned it off again. Luckily, he also knocked a small stack of mini-disks off his nightstand and the resultant clatter woke him fully. 

"Oh, crap! My MDs!" Omi exclaimed, lunging for the falling plastic items and scooping most of them up before they landed harmlessly on the carpeted floor. 

After carefully returning his collection of anime theme songs to their place on the little table by his bed, the blond scrubbed a hand across sleepy eyes and then peered at the clock and reiterated, "Oh, *double* crap! I'm late!!" He scrambled out of bed in a rush, wondering as he donned the first pair of jeans he found and a long sleeved shirt why his teammates hadn't knocked on his door to remind him to get up after he'd missed breakfast. In a flurry of motion, Omi brushed teeth, hair, and took care of other urgent morning requirements cursing himself the entire time for his tardiness. 

Practically flying down the stairs, past the kitchen and then hurrying into the Koneko proper, Omi greeted his friend and coworker for the first shift of the day, saying, "Good morning, Ken-kun! Sorry I'm late, I overslept."

Turning and offering the apologetic boy an understanding smile, Ken replied, "That's okay, Omi. I saw the note Aya left about how you were up pretty late working out a firing solution for us and I wanted to let you sleep in if you needed to. Besides," he sighed and pointed a finger at the raindrop spattered front windows as he explained, "it's chilly and drizzly out this morning. Miserable weather like that usually means almost zero customers until midday anyway."

Absently noting that the rain wasn't unexpected after the heavily overhung skies of the night before, Omi nodded and replied guiltily, "That's true, but I still should've been here earlier. I always like to mist the smaller potted plants before we open for business, it makes them look perkier and the customers like them better that way."

Chuckling softly, Ken responded, "As high as the humidity is in here already because of the rain, Omi, I really don't think that they need to be misted. Instead of worrying over that, why don't you go roll up the gate so anyone who does want to go out in this mess can come in and get warm?" 

"All right," the younger of the two teens agreed and did as instructed. After seeing to it that the front doors were unobstructed, he asked, "Have you seen Aya-kun this morning, Ken-kun? I assume Yohji-kun is still asleep, but I'm worried about Aya-kun, he was just *so* tired last night."

Shaking his head sadly, the brunette replied, "Yohji was still crashed in bed when I got up, Omi, I kinda needed to wear myself out last night and I think he's tired from dancing too much. But Aya's another story entirely." With a frustrated sigh, he leaned against the workbench, crossed his arms over his chest, and then said, "That redheaded idiot really needs to learn to relax. I peeked in on him in his room earlier and he was actually asleep as far as I could tell, but it didn't look like he was getting much rest out of it."

"Really? Why do you say that, Ken-kun?" Omi asked worriedly.

Frowning and truly wishing he could read minds like a certain German telepath could so that the mystery that surrounded Fujimiya Aya could be unraveled at least a little, Ken explained, "He was mumbling in his sleep and hardly laying still at all. Honestly, it looked like he was having a fight with his covers or something." Running a hand through shaggy brown bangs, he added out of sheer frustration, "Shit, I almost think we ought to get him a puppy to keep him company or something." 

What Ken very carefully did not add was that part of his frustration came from the fact that he and Yohji were already discussing ways in which to hopefully reach out to Aya and offer him some of the human kindness he needed to accept before it was too late. The two lovers had agreed not to burden their young friend with knowledge of their plans since Omi had enough to deal with regarding his first crush. Whereas they were worried about the swordsman, they also valued the love and affection the archer was experiencing for the first time with a boy they knew only as Xavier and they didn't want to tarnish it with a solution that Omi would ultimately have very little to do with. 

Briefly lost in thought, Omi stood quietly contemplating his friend's remark and with a nod of his head, he agreed in part, saying, "Well, I'd say he is definitely lonely, Ken-kun, but I doubt a puppy is the answer."

"Oh? And what *is* the answer Tsukiyono-sensei?" Ken teased gently, glad that he wasn't forced to continue trying to misdirect the youth.

Missing the gentle tease entirely due to being lost in thought, Omi replied earnestly, "I think you and Yohji-kun ought to take him out with you some night whether he wants to go or not." 

Ken nodded slightly and accepted this suggestion at face value when he answered, "Yeah, wearing him out with some dancing might be a good idea, Omi." With a miserable sigh, he added, "If doing that can get Yohji's mind off that asshole Charon enough to sleep well, maybe it could help Aya get some rest, too."

"That's not what I meant," Omi shook his head and stared at the floor as he stated quietly, "I think he needs to meet someone, Ken-kun. I think he needs to start putting his life back together even if his sister is still in a coma."

"Well, damn," Ken cursed softly and shook his head in astonishment. He and Yohji both had badly underestimated their youngest teammate's insightful nature, yet he wished to maintain the secrecy surrounding their intentions and remarked untruthfully, "I never thought of it that way, Omi, but you know Abyssinian. He doesn't want any 'entanglements' distracting him from his private war on Takatori."

Crestfallen, Omi's head drooped and he said with a quiet sigh, "I know, Ken-kun. But he's just so lonely, it's got to hurt."

Sighing deeply and regretting the fact that the man who worked so hard to project an image of icy indifference was so hard to reach, Ken decided it was time to cheer up his young friend and he did so by moving to pull Omi into a warm bear hug. Holding the younger assassin close in the brotherly embrace they'd shared from time to time, he urged quietly, "Don't worry over Aya too much Omi. I'll talk to Yohji about it later. Maybe he's got some good ideas, okay?"

Peering up through his pale bangs and smiling at the taller teen, Omi agreed, "Okay, Ken-kun. Maybe once all this stuff with Glocksten and Charon is over we might find a way to help Aya-kun. I'd really like that a lot."

"Same here," Ken replied with complete honesty and after one last warm squeeze, he released the shorter boy so they could get to work since flowers rarely arranged or watered themselves.

Before long, the two teammates who had saved each other's lives countless times were chatting amiably while assembling new arrangements for the refrigerated display case as well as getting caught up on other topics.

"So, how was the date with Xavier?" Ken asked gazing at Omi from the corner of his eyes curiously. When he spotted a tiny flush of color on boyish cheeks, he added playfully, "Did you actually *watch* any of the movie or were you two too busy making out in the back of the theater to see any of it?"

"Ken-kun!!" Omi spluttered in shock. His cheeks flared hotly as he retorted, "We did *not* 'make out' during the movie! Honestly, just because you and Yohji-kun can't keep your hands off each other doesn't mean we *all* lack self-control!" Even as he denied any misdoing at the anime showing, he was also hiding his flaming cheeks behind some handy fern fronds that were supposed to be going into the large arrangement he was constructing for the vestibule of one of the local hotels. 

Snickering since he correctly assumed he was on the right track, Ken teased, "If you *didn't* get in a little one-on-one time with the kid, how come you're a brighter pink than this carnation, Omi?" He waggled said flower at his friend then eased off a little and added more gently, "Either way, though, as long as you and he had a nice time, I'm really glad for you both. Aya's not the only one around here who needs to have someone special in his life."

Letting the greenery sink down so cerulean eyes could peer at chocolate ones to see if the teasing was over, Omi acknowledged, "Actually, I hadn't realized that I was lonely, too, until I met Xavier on Monday, Ken-kun. Being with him has made a big difference for me. It's really nice." A sadness entered the boy's expression and he added with a frown, "But I'm a little worried about him, too."

"Worried?" Ken echoed, setting a completed bouquet into the display case. "How come?"

"I never heard from him online last night," Omi explained. Continuing to frown, he added, "I hope he got home okay."

"What?!" Ken demanded in surprise, "Didn't you drive him home, Omi? What kind of a date is it if you don't do that for him?" 

"I know," Omi's head dropped again and he sounded miserable as he said, "but, he didn't want me to. He never lets me take him home and I don't even know where he lives."

"Oh, I see," Ken said more gently. Memories of the reactions he and his own first boyfriend had garnered came to mind, then he inquired, "This is about those stuck-up roommates or family or whatever of his, right?"

"I guess so," Omi pouted.

"Hey now," Ken said encouragingly, "give yourself a break, Omi. Not everybody's ready to accept two boys being together the way that we do around here. And if you guys are getting to be 'more than friends' already, he's probably scared of what they'll say, you know?"

Omi knew the problem was far deeper and more complex as well as dangerous than simple homophobia, but he nodded glumly all the same and hedged, "Well, maybe that's what it is, Ken-kun. I just wish that I knew he got home safely, that's all."

The former goaltender gave his friend a smile and suggested, "Well, Omi, since we're dead quiet in here due to the rain, why not take a break and go check your email? Maybe he sent you a note after you got offline last night."

Bright blue eyes finally rose and hopefulness filled the youth's lilting alto as he asked, "Are you sure you wouldn't mind, Ken-kun? I hate to leave you here all alone, but it would be really good to know if he's okay or not."

"Sure I'm sure," Ken said and gestured broadly at the empty room before saying, "There's nothing going on here you need to hang around for right at the moment, Omi. Go check your email and put your mind at ease, okay?"

Already pulling off his yellow apron and getting ready to take his friend's advice, Omi beamed and thanked him with a nod while saying, "I'll be right back, Ken-kun!"

The Weiss tactician dashed out of the shop area, past the kitchen where Yohji sat nursing a cup of coffee, and then zoomed down the spiral staircase in a rush. 

"I wonder where the fire is?" Yohji chuckled softly. Then he gracefully rose to his feet intending to get details from his lover who was now conveniently alone and therefore susceptible to a little sexy teasing, and commented to himself thoughtfully, "The 'Comet Bombay' appears to be on the rise early today. I wonder why." After pouring more coffee into his mug and grabbing another one that he filled for Ken, he made his way to the shop.

"Oi, Kenken," Yohji greeted the man who was so much more than a teammate or coworker to him. Motioning at him with the steaming mug, he asked, "Want some java, babe?" 

Deep brown eyes blinking in surprise since he'd expected his dance partner to sleep until noon, Ken reached towards the cup and replied, "I'd love some, Yohji."

"Ah, ah, ah!" The lanky blond pulled the mug out of reach and stated, "You gotta pay the delivery charge for that, Kenken."

Scowling at his lover, Ken asked with understandable annoyance, "*What* 'delivery charge', Yohji? Just give me the coffee, you nutcase."

Smirking, Yohji responded sarcastically, "Oh, you sweet-talker, you! For *that* you now have to pay twice as much."

Glaring for all he was worth, Ken demanded, "What freaking price do you *want*, Kudou?! That damned coffee smells too good to resist, so stop your games and give it to me!"

Sauntering over and standing so close that their thighs barely brushed one another's, Yohji leaned near and whispered in Ken's ear, "ya owe me two kisses now, darlin'. one for the coffee and one for the smart remark." 

Growling, Ken considered refusing but a stealthy shift of a foot put one of Yohji's lean legs between Ken's muscular ones and the unsubtle reminder of what else the pair had done the night before to wear themselves out erased any resistance he had left. Tilting his head up and gazing through partially lidded eyes at his tall partner, Ken acquiesced and placed not two but three kisses onto the former playboy's lips before capturing the coffee mug and taking a sip.

Surprised yet pleased, Yohji remained where he was a moment more and whispered, "what was the extra kiss for, ken-love?"

Giving him a heated glance that made Yohji's pulse speed up, Ken answered, "consider it a deposit, koi." After sipping his coffee in an ineffably sexy manner, he explained, "tonight, as soon as we get done taking out the trash kritiker assigned us to get rid of, i want a double order of what i got last night."

With a sexy little growl, Yohji promised, "you betcha, babe! all that and more as soon as that scumbag charon is just a bad memory, all right?"

"sounds good to me, koi," Ken replied and then, after a last kiss, they stepped apart so that Ken could fill him in on Omi's concerns about Xavier without risking a lecture from said blond about no sex in the flower shop.

Shortly after the two lovers finished teasing each other as well as getting caught up on the latest wrinkle in their youngest teammate's love life, Omi returned to the shop, genki smile once more in place as he stated, "I got an email from Xavier. He got home just fine, but couldn't get online until really super late." 

"I'm glad he let you know he was okay, Omi," Ken said truly relieved to see the sadness gone from big blue eyes that reminded him of a perfect, cloudless sky.

"Well, Omiitchi, now that we all know your little friend is fine, can I trust you to keep track of Kenken for me while I go grab a shower?" Yohji stretched luxuriously with leonine grace and then cast a hungry gaze at Ken that reiterated the promise made for an intimate post-mission celebration.

Not bothered at all by the innuendo for a change, Omi nodded brightly and assured, "Absolutely, Yohji-kun! Ken-kun and I will be fine, but could you please make sure to not wake Aya-kun? He apparently was finally getting some sleep this morning."

"Really? He's sleeping?" Yohji looked surprised yet pleased then added with a soft snort, "It's about damned time! I was starting to consider spiking a drink for him with something to knock him out if I had to."

Both Ken and Omi looked as if they were about to complain about that approach and Yohji quickly raised a hand in surrender as he hurried to amend, "Just kidding, guys!" Noting they both forgave him, he then stated, "Don't worry, bishounen, I'll be quiet as a church mouse. Let's let sleeping Abyssinians lie, right?"

"Right," the two youngest members of Weiss chorused and then smiled at each other since acts of synchrony weren't unheard of from them.

Before long, Yohji was blissfully wasting all the hot water in the Koneko while Omi and Ken sold very few flowers for a Saturday morning. Aya would finally emerge from his bedroom looking only moderately rested and then almost immediately vanish into the streets of Tokyo in preparation for the coming mission. 

The drizzly, chilly day would drag past even as a sense of anticipation grew among those eagerly awaiting the extermination of two of the worst vermin to have infested their city in a very long time. 

*****

To be continued.

Author's Notes:

[Posting Run Dedication] This evening's extra long posting run is hereby gratefully dedicated to the ever so wonderful Starshadow! She's been a good friend for quite awhile now and her encouraging comments and reviews are always more than welcome wherever I encounter them. It's been a lot of fun exchanging posts with her on my own LJ as well as hers and it's an honor and a privilege to get to acknowledge how much she means to me publicly with this dedication. 

Please be advised: Parts 23 - 25 will be posted together.

Posted: 12 April 2003 ~2:15am EDT


	26. Weiss Prepares for Battle

Welcome once again to the Angst Theatre's debut performance of "Neutral Territory". 

Due to the fact that unexpected travel plans came up for my family and myself recently, I wanted to hurry to get the last two chapters of this story that I had in complete rough draft form out to everyone before leaving town Tuesday morning. Ordinarily, I would prefer to have more time to edit, but I thought it would be better to share these important scenes with those following the tale before Easter rather than after. Please forgive me if there are more irregularities in the text than usual, I'll try to revise these chapters later if they're too terrible. 

Tonight's posting run focuses on the preparations for Saturday night made by the two rival assassin teams. Weiss makes plans for battle even as the worry three of its members have for the fourth increases precipitously. Schwarz is similarly occupied, yet things are even more complicated for them than they are at the Koneko as Farfarello returns to the team in an altered mental state which worries Nagi while Crawford and Schuldich must cope with a startling new development. 

Awhile back, I promised to offer a "happy endings policy" statement for those who are worried by the deliberately powerful foreshadowing that has been in recent chapters and it will soon be available in an LJ entry dated April 15, 2003 under my username "e_sama". Those of you who are familiar with my approach to such things needn't worry over it unless you are curious about this and/or you want to see the amazingly beautiful custom-made Aya icon created especially for me by mia_sailor_nova which celebrates certain lines in tonight's run. 

The fine readers who I wish to thank for their support tonight include the following friends who sent email, commented on-list, and/or in my LJ: Rubious, Ryoko, Yanagi-sen, Wataruo, Nalan Li, Starshadow, Carter Tachikawa, Kaze, Idimmu, Ami-chan, Kiki, and probably a few others I can't think of at the moment since I'm rushing so much. Here at fanfiction.net, I'm pleased to have heard from: Carter Tachikawa, Kyra, Ihni, Assassin of the Shadows, Chisa Yume, and Shaynie. MM.org is sadly down at the moment, so I'll include them next time if there have been any new reviews posted recently. 

Also, a special word of appreciation to everyone who follows my LJ and tolerates my ravings. Things have been difficult these last few days and the uplifting exchanges there have helped me hold onto what's left of my sanity. 

Enjoy the Angst!

~~~Enigma~~~

(who anticipates getting back to work on the rough draft of NT over Easter weekend, but isn't sure when the next chapters will be ready to post since they currently exist only in Melpomene's fevered brain as well as in outline form)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

****

Title: Neutral Territory [part 26/?]

Author: Enigma

Written: begun October, 2001 

Rating: R 

Pairings: (Omi + Nagi) (Yohji + Ken) (Brad + Schu) 

Category: Shonen ai/Yaoi Angst Friendship Romance Action Violence. AU-OOC. Giftfic.

Archive: fanfiction.net & mediaminer.org [author: "E-sama the Llama"] plus Wuffie.net [author: "Enigma"]

Warnings: shonen ai/yaoi, angst, masculine friendship in many forms, various levels of romance, action, coarse language, whiffs of citrus but nothing detailed, possibly graphic violence, bloodshed, tiny bits of humor, fluff, and sap; more warnings will be added as necessary. AU-OOC. Giftfic for Rubious.

Spoilers: Aya's sister's condition and a few other small things, nothing major.

Disclaimer: "Weiss Kreuz" is the property of Koyasu Takehito and Project Weiss. All original characters featured herein (including but not limited to: Glocksten, Charon, etc.) are © Enigma, 2003, and are not to be used without permission. This unauthorized work of fanfiction is intended for entertainment only; kindly do not sue me.

Notes: Omi's first trip to the public library results in an unexpected meeting when Nagi saves his life without being aware of the Weiss archer's identity. Can two lonely teens overcome the limits of their dark purpose in life to find friendship and possibly love in the midst of "neutral territory"? 

//thoughts// 

{{mental speech}}

*****

Saturday late afternoon. The Koneko no Sumu Ie.

*****

After a long, boring day with very few receipts to show for their efforts, Yohji, Ken, and Omi all agreed to close shop a little early. 

Leaning against the front doors and peering out with an annoyed expression on his face, Yohji sighed dramatically and muttered to himself, "It's hardly worth getting out of bed to work on a day like today." 

The rain had finally let up within the prior fifteen minutes and water still dripped steadily from the awning above the front doors in a sad rhythm that underscored the eldest member of Weiss' anxiety over the coming conflict too perfectly. Thoughts of the hopefully bloody confrontation with Charon and Glocksten had slithered and slid through Balinese's mind all day long. As he shoved the door open partway so as to grab a few quick puffs on a cigarette before resuming the end of day routine, Yohji lit up while contemplating his teammates' readiness.

//I know Abyssinian's katana was razor-sharp after too much time on the sharpening stone after Aya found out about those twins who were kidnapped. Ken's claws got pretty much the same treatment then, too, and the extension mechanism on his bugnuks got a tune up last week from Kritiker. Omi took a few hours off this afternoon to get all of his darts filled with poison or tranquilizers or whatever the hell he keeps in them. My wire's brand new and ought to go through almost anything I need it to. Yeah, we're in good shape.//

Melancholy jade-colored eyes were unfocused as gray smoke tendrils drifted out into the moist air before Yohji filled his lungs once more with cancer-inducing smoke which he held there as he disagreed with himself.

//No, that's not true. Not by half.//

Releasing the smoke from his lungs in artful little rings that drifted out into the darkening sky unnoticed and unappreciated, his thoughts saddened.

//Weiss can't *possibly* be in "good shape" with Aya half-dead from lack of sleep. I just wish we could find a way to get through to him so he doesn't let the insomnia run him into the ground the way that it does. But he tends to shut everyone out when we're in the middle of a mission like this and it's just damned hard to convince him to let us shoulder some of the burden.//

As he took a long, hard drag from the cigarette that he then extinguished in a small receptacle by the door, he considered a conversation he'd had with his lover and found himself increasingly certain the brunette had an excellent point.

//Then again, Ken's right. We need to get him to open back up to life before it's too late. I'll be damned if I'm going to let Aya toss away a perfectly good chance to enjoy the day to day if I can help it! 'Carpe diem' and all that jazz.//

While the lanky blond had been ruminating over everything from weaponry to a teammate's approach to life, his two coworkers had continued to strive towards wrapping up an otherwise unprofitable business day. 

"Aya's going to be pissed when he gets back and I can't say that I blame him for it," Ken groused as he swept the floor near the workbench, collecting a small pile of leaves, stem bits, and ribbon that had escaped before it could be used properly. After throwing a gaze at the now overstocked display case, he explained with annoyance, "I'll bet we didn't break even today after you consider overhead and junk."

Carefully checking the soil of several large, exotic plants with a water gauge to see which needed a bit of additional moisture, Omi agreed with a sigh, "I know, Ken-kun, but at least we are all set for awhile and he won't need to make any arrangements. Who knows? Maybe he'll relax after we finish tonight's mission and sleep in tomorrow instead of getting up early to worry over the shop?"

"That would be nice, Omiitchi," Yohji commented with a dark sigh and then reached for the steel gate for the doors, pulling it partway down as he added, "I just hope he doesn't fade out on us tonight, though. Taking out both Glocksten *and* Charon at the same time is the only way to wrap up this assignment and it'll take us all working together to pull that off."

"Abyssinian won't let us down," Ken stated confidently as he put away broom and dustpan prior to getting to work on counting out the register, a task made simple by the lack of customers. Nodding to himself as he rearranged a stack of bills to suit himself, he stated optimistically, "As long as we can find those two creeps tonight, Aya should be fine on the battlefield. Adrenaline can make up for a lot of lost sleep."

"Maybe yes, maybe no," Yohji disagreed with a gentle shake of his head. The worry over the willowy redhead just wouldn't leave his mind, but this was mostly because the image of red-rimmed eyes peering at him over a coffee mug before Aya had headed out earlier in the day simply wouldn't leave his mind. With a dissatisfied frown, he started to shut the gate entirely yet paused when something caught his eye and he remarked with a soft chuckle even as he lifted it back up, "I'd know those boots anywhere." 

"Hn," Aya snorted by way of acknowledging the former playboy's almost fetishistic fascination with footwear, then stepped into the warmly inviting interior of the Koneko no Sumu Ie.

"Welcome home, Aya-kun!" Omi greeted brightly before rising gracefully and smiling at his newly returned teammate whose rain soaked garments were creating a puddle on the floor. 

Since Aya was dressed in street clothes as opposed to his mission gear, the standard length jacket he'd worn did little to protect his legs from the elements and the drenched denim of his jeans clung chillingly to his thighs and calves. As he'd been searching for information that would allow him to identify the best place to confront their prey, the ankle he'd broken months prior had begun to ache, yet he ignored it even as he silently noted the overstocked display case. 

"Yo, Aya," Ken called by way of greeting, then immediately amended it with a question, "What're you all wet for? Did you forget your umbrella?" Frowning, he set aside the meager cash drawer and went to get the damp redhead a towel from beneath the small sink at the back of the shop.

Ignoring the question since the answer was obvious, Aya instead focused on getting a handful of sopping wet maroon tresses out of his eyes and then accepted the towel with a surprisingly open smile even as Yohji added his own concerns to the conversation.

"Are you *trying* to make yourself sick, Fujimiya?!" Yohji growled angrily, upset by Aya's disregard for his own health. With a scowl, he stepped close enough to reach out a hand demandingly as he commanded, "Give me the wet jacket, baka, and go get a hot shower or something!"

A blood red eyebrow arched dangerously as Aya responded, "I am *not* a child, Kudou." Disproving at least part of his defiance by obeying, he was secretly astounded by the over-protectiveness in Yohji and Ken's eyes. Then with a small shrug as he handed the elder assassin a jacket made heavier by virtue of being wet, he added pointedly, "After I take your advice, Balinese, I want a meeting in the basement. We're going hunting tonight."

"All right!" Ken enthused, sincerely glad to have a chance to end the waiting game as well as to know that the swordsman was going to be reasonable about Yohji's possibly inappropriate demands.

"That'll be great," Omi interjected and then offered, "While you shower, I'll get us some fresh tea and double-check the net to make sure Persia or Manx haven't sent us any updates we might need." What he also wanted to check was whether or not Nagi had responded to his earlier email, something the telekinetic hadn't done by the time Omi had been in the basement working on his deadly darts. 

Toweling the worst of the wetness away so he wouldn't leave a trail of water behind himself as he ascended to the private quarters above the flower shop, Aya acknowledged, "That'll work. Everyone meet there in a half-hour."

There were various words of agreement and then the swordsman went to get clean and dry even as Omi vanished to do what he'd offered, thereby leaving the two lovers alone for the moment.

"See what I mean?" Ken said with a semi-confident smile. "He's the same old Aya as always, Yohji. The sleep deprivation isn't as bad as you thought."

"The hell you say," Yohji disagreed with a snarl. He then gazed at the jacket in his hand and growled, "Under normal conditions, he won't do anything that I *tell* him to, only what I *ask* him to. So how do you explain this?"

"Oh. Fuck, you're right," Ken agreed with a deep, miserable huff. Shaking his head sadly, he acquiesced, "What do we do about it then?"

"We need to be extra watchful," Yohji answered and wrapped an arm around his partner for a brief yet heartfelt hug. As they stood together, wordlessly sharing support for one another as well as their plans to somehow get past Aya's formidable barriers, he added with a sigh, "If we can just keep him in one piece tonight, we'll be doing well. And as soon as those two creeps are dead, we can do something about getting him to listen to us whenever we try to convince him that you and I can be more to him than just teammates."

Crestfallen, Ken leaned against Yohji heavily and commented unhappily, "Yeah, but I still can't think of a way to approach him so he won't just shut us out before we can get our point across."

An expression of loving confidence filled emerald eyes as Yohji stroked Ken's back warmly and assured, "Don't start doubting yourself now, baby. After all, you were able to convince me that there was a helluva lot of difference between just fucking and making love. Then you were able to go one better and prove to me that you were the only one I wanted in my bed after being a player for so long." When hopeful brown eyes lifted to gaze at him, Yohji added tenderly, "If you can get this roamer to settle down, I dare say you can defrost an ice cube, too." [1]

Chuckling appreciatively, Ken chastised gently, "You know, Kudou, if you want to get the guy into our bed so badly, you'd better stop calling him names like that."

Pleased that the dark moment had passed, Yohji laughed quietly and responded with a nickname reserved for their most private moments, "Ken-love, if we can actually get him to even spend some downtime with us at all whether we have sex together or not, I'll be happy. He's just got to start letting that damned nice smile of his out more often, that's all."

"Yeah, he does have a nice smile," Ken said with a soft sigh before adding, "but I can't help but wonder what he sounds like when he laughs."

Releasing his lover from his one-armed embrace, Yohji commented thoughtfully, "Good point. We'll just add that to our list of things to try to get him to do someday. Who knows? Maybe we'll make a real live boy out of him after all."

Shaking his head and walking back over to the temporarily forgotten cash drawer, Ken replied, "Aya's not Pinocchio, Yohji, but I know what you mean." Tossing a resolute glance at his lover who was about to close the gate for the night, he added firmly, "After this mission's all wrapped up, we'll get started on our own private 'Assignment: Aya'. Come hell or high water, we'll find a way to get him to smile, laugh, and live again before it's too late."

"Now you're talking, Kenken!" Yohji beamed, relieved to see the confidence in his handsome brunette's eyes once more. 

Without further discussion, the two of them finished taking care of seeing to it that the Koneko would be ready for business the next day and then turned to the more important matter of preparing to go forth to deal well deserved deaths to a pair of vile criminals. 

*****

Saturday early evening then into the night. Weiss mission headquarters.

*****

As planned, all four members of Kritiker's finest assassin team soon convened in the Koneko's basement to discuss the approach to be taken to hopefully draw their current assignment to a close. 

Aya opened the meeting by saying, "Tonight we've got a fairly good opportunity to eliminate both Glocksten and Charon only if that German bastard stays true to his pattern of partying after a successful kidnapping." The distaste was evident in his expression as he pointed to the table which was covered with computer printouts and a set of blueprints, and added, "Unfortunately, the places he likes to do that aren't ones we can set up a strike inside without endangering an unreasonable number of civilians. So we'll be working on an exterior interception approach as opposed to an interior ambush."

Frowning slightly since this didn't sound too bad to him, Ken asked, "What's wrong with that, Aya?" Cocking his head to one side thoughtfully, he added, "That's worked in a bunch of other cases. Why wouldn't it be fine tonight?"

"Because of the rain, Ken-kun," Omi supplied helpfully yet without enthusiasm. Even though he was very glad that the strike wasn't one that fit the profile of the type of battles where Nagi might be involved if Schwarz came into the picture unexpectedly, he was worried about a number of factors all the same. With a small frown, he continued, "I checked the forecast when I was looking to see if Manx or Persia had sent us anything, and unfortunately the weather bureau is calling for scattered showers, some of them possibly heavy tonight."

Shrugging, the former J-league player remarked, "Okay, Omi. So, we get a little wet, so what? No biggie."

"It's all about visibility, Siberian," Aya snarled with less patience than he would've liked. Before Yohji could even send him an angry glance, he then sighed, rubbed both hands over exhausted eyes and amended, "I'm sorry, Ken, that just slipped out."

Since he was temporarily blinded, the swordsman never saw the astounded expressions on those around him. The sudden apology was far more out of character for him than the angry remark had been and it worried them even more to watch as Aya slumped into a chair instead of remaining standing like usual during a strategy briefing. 

Scarlet hair cascaded over the back of the chair for a moment as Aya let his head fall back and he added to their concerns by actually admitting with a moan, "Gods, I'm tired." His arms hung limply from slumped shoulders and his entire posture spoke of a bone-deep weariness that words could hardly express. 

Frightened, Omi turned towards Ken who was seated on the couch and spread his hands in a gesture of entreaty hoping for a solution he already knew didn't exist. 

With a worried shrug, Ken responded that he didn't have any ideas before he glanced at Yohji who was leaning against a wall near where Aya now sat. 

Green eyes narrowed behind his omnipresent sunglasses, Yohji shook his head firmly only once, then pushed off the wall and strode over to Aya's chair. Crouching beside the redhead, he took a significant risk and wrapped a hand around Aya's forearm to draw his attention before saying, "Look, Aya, you're probably going to hate me for saying this--and I can live with that because this is damned important--but are you sure you should be going anywhere tonight?" Ken and Omi both tensed when they noticed the slowness with which violet eyes opened once more and gazed lifelessly as Yohji continued, "As exhausted as you are, maybe you should just let the three of us handle things for once."

In a dead voice that did nothing to allay anyone's fears, Aya replied, "I'll be fine, Yohji." The fact that he hadn't brushed the hand away hadn't been lost on them and neither was the unexpected use of the lanky blond's given name. As red lashes feathered shut briefly, he added, "This mission's too important to risk failing because we're a man short. I'll take something in awhile to make sure I'm alert later."

"Caffeine?" Omi suggested nervously.

Shaking his head, Aya answered, "No, that stopped working yesterday. I'll find something else, though." Forcing his eyelids to open against their will, he added decisively, "But that's enough about me. We've got a strike to plan."

"But, Aya--" 

Ken started to say worriedly but was cut off when Aya finally reached to pull Yohji's hand from his arm while saying, "I said that was *enough*! Now get your hand off me, Balinese, and let's get back to business."

Noting the lack of punishing pressure on his wrist which would've been more normal, Yohji nodded and rose to his feet once more while saying, "All right, Abyssinian. Just be careful what you decide to take."

Nodding and letting the topic drop, Aya sat forward in his chair, reached for a printout and resumed the briefing by commenting, "Based on this spreadsheet Omi put together, I've decided that our best chance to intercept our targets is at a certain club tonight." Pointing at an entry written in by hand only a few minutes before their meeting had begun, he continued, "There is an unconfirmed sighting of Glocksten at a dance club last night in Roppongi, but I doubt he's headed back there tonight. Instead, I'm sure he's going to go to one of the more expensive clubs on the outskirts of the city."

"Why is that, Aya-kun?" Omi asked, glad to hear him sounding more like himself finally now that the mission itself was the topic of discussion instead of Weiss' field leader himself.

Using a pencil as a pointer, Aya indicated several different entries on the spreadsheet and explained, "He has eclectic tastes in music, but he's been seen at several places where a certain band was performing and that group is at a place named 'The White Dog' tonight."

With a startled expression on his face, Yohji ran a hand through his hair and remarked, "That's a damned expensive place." Noting the curious expressions on the two youngest assassins' faces, he explained, "'The White Dog' is one of those limos and champagne clubs instead of beer and bimbos." 

"Oh," Ken commented with a nod, "so that's why I've never heard of it before."

Feeling a twinge of guilt for not ever taking his lover to such an upscale club, Yohji was about to apologize for his lapse, but Aya's voice pulled his mind from the non-mission related thoughts when he said, "Actually, it's to our advantage that it's like that. Establishing a perimeter around a building with a parking area is much more effective than doing the same in Roppongi or Ginza." 

Reaching for the blueprints of the club in question, the Weiss field leader began outlining his plans for the night's strike. He dictated placement of personnel as well as reviewed weaponry with his tactical leader. Time flew by as the team debated several different approaches to reach their goal and eventually a final agreement was reached. 

Once everyone knew his role for the night, the foursome went their separate ways for a time with an intention of gathering later for a light meal prior to heading into the night intending to eliminate two men who deserved far worse than what they would receive. 

Omi would be frustrated by the fact that Nagi wasn't online to chat with. Ken and Yohji would feel similarly when they discovered Aya had vanished from the flower shop and was out purchasing whatever potentially disastrous stimulant he'd decided to use. As for the redheaded swordsman himself, there was little to say other than it was only stubbornness that kept him going as he ghosted through a less than savory section of Tokyo in search of what he felt would help him attain his goals.

Each of the four would eventually retreat into his own thoughts and the dinner they'd intended to share was forgotten long before they departed the Koneko around ten o'clock en route to what would be a more than fateful rendezvous. 

*****

To be continued.

Authors Notes:

[1] Recently, Kyra posted a comment at ff.net regarding Ken's eye color and I thought I'd addressed this issue earlier, but apparently I didn't. I've already sent her an email with this information in it, but in case anyone else wondered, allow me to mention that like many other writers, I follow the original manga specifics and give him brown eyes instead of the blue he was given in the anime. I feel that the warmer color suits his down to earth personality better as well as granting him a more cuddly, "boy next door" appearance. There are other reasons, too, but I hope this is enough of an explanation to satisfy anyone's curiosity. 

Please be advised: Parts 26 & 27 will be posted together.

Posted: 15 April 2003 ~2:00am EDT


	27. Tension and Frustration for Schwarz

****

Title: Neutral Territory [part 27/?]

Author: Enigma

Written: begun October, 2001 

Rating: R 

Pairings: (Omi + Nagi) (Yohji + Ken) (Brad + Schu) 

Category: Shonen ai/Yaoi Angst Friendship Romance Action Violence. AU-OOC. Giftfic.

Archive: fanfiction.net & mediaminer.org [author: "E-sama the Llama"] plus Wuffie.net [author: "Enigma"]

Warnings: shonen ai/yaoi, angst, masculine friendship in many forms, various levels of romance, action, coarse language, whiffs of citrus but nothing detailed, possibly graphic violence, bloodshed, tiny bits of humor, fluff, and sap; more warnings will be added as necessary. AU-OOC. Giftfic for Rubious.

Spoilers: Aya's sister's condition and a few other small things, nothing major.

Disclaimer: "Weiss Kreuz" is the property of Koyasu Takehito and Project Weiss. All original characters featured herein (including but not limited to: Glocksten, Charon, etc.) are © Enigma, 2003, and are not to be used without permission. This unauthorized work of fanfiction is intended for entertainment only; kindly do not sue me.

Notes: Omi's first trip to the public library results in an unexpected meeting when Nagi saves his life without being aware of the Weiss archer's identity. Can two lonely teens overcome the limits of their dark purpose in life to find friendship and possibly love in the midst of "neutral territory"? 

//thoughts// 

{{mental speech}}

*****

Saturday night. Schwarz penthouse.

*****

Even as Omi and his teammates were preparing for their mission, the boy the young blond had dared to kiss the night before was doing the same.

"Why do we *all* have to go tonight, Crawford?" Nagi asked with annoyance while throwing worried glances at his subdued Irish teammate who currently shared the leather couch in Crawford's office with him. 

Thanks to Crawford and Schuldich's timely intervention the day before, Farfarello had indeed been able to avoid a serious slide into the darker levels of insanity which occasionally claimed him, but he'd not come out of it in his usual lighthearted mood. Instead, he'd emerged from the straightjacket in a deeply introspective frame of mind which Nagi had mistaken for a depressive withdrawal. 

The truth of the matter was that Farfarello was lost in thoughts so strange yet painfully logical that not even the perceptive telepath could understand him and Schuldich had been forced to minimize his mental links with the one-eyed man just to protect his own sanity. 

Not bothering to look up from the paperwork he was reviewing after issuing his commands for the night's assignment, Crawford replied flatly, "Because Estet says so, that's why." 

Leaning against his lover's desk in a typically provocative manner, the redhead commented with poorly concealed anger, "I'm with the chibi." Flipping some of his flame-colored hair over his shoulder as he tossed a meaningful glance at Crawford, he added, "After the crap we had to put up with last night, I think we should only take Farfarello with us tonight, Crawford."

Finally looking up, mahogany eyes flashing behind his shiny wire-rimmed glasses, Crawford wanted to say he'd like nothing better, but that would be a useless thing to add to the discussion. Instead, he stated, "It is not your decision to make, Schuldich." With a sigh so small it went unnoticed, he held up the paper in his hand and added, "Neither is it mine. These are direct orders and are not open to debate."

Wondering why the white-haired man seated beside him was remaining silent, Nagi asked, "What is the big deal with that German guy anyway? What's he do for Estet that makes him so much more important than we are?" 

The low growl in the back of Schuldich's throat was accompanied by a mental plea to his lover to put an end to this before he said something he shouldn't.

Accepting Schuldich's entirely atypical request, Crawford slammed the paper back onto his desk and roared, "That is *enough*! You've all been given your orders, now get out of my office!" 

"Fine, fine, be that way, you jerk," Schuldich remarked with an utterly false tone of annoyance that masterfully covered the warm expressions of thanks that flowed to Crawford through their private channel of communication. Hips swaying as he sauntered from the room, he mused aloud, "Hmm… I wonder what drop dead sexy outfit to wear tonight? I just might find a new toy to play with among the wealthy shitheads at 'The White Dog' tonight."

Crawford snorted derisively and refused to be baited into a response, preferring to go back to taking care of some last minute paperwork prior to departure.

Midnight blue eyes blinked in shock as Nagi rose to leave, intending to change into something nicer than what he'd worn the night before as well as a warm raincoat since the weather was inclement. Beside him, Farfarello silently rose to his feet and headed for the door without a word. 

"Farf?" Nagi called as he hurried to catch up to the Irishman, "Can you wait a minute?" 

Pausing and turning with an unusual grace that somehow reminded the younger teen of a dancer who was more than confident performing the lead role in a Noh drama, Farfarello lifted an eyebrow inquiringly, yet remained silent.

"Um, Farf? Is something wrong?" Nagi asked as they resumed walking down the hallway towards their bedrooms.

The monosyllabic reply wasn't very helpful, but all Farfarello said was, "No." In the state he was in at that moment, further clarification seemed unnecessarily redundant. It simply didn't occur to him that a few more words might reassure his worried Japanese friend and that was a shame since he didn't like to cause Nagi undue concern.

Frustrated as well as worried, Nagi wasn't sure what to say and couldn't find a way to express his concerns for his strangely silent friend even as they arrived at the door to Farfarello's admittedly weird bedroom. 

The door which could be locked from the outside if necessary was made of reinforced steel and the walls, floor, and ceiling were heavily padded. There was a minimal amount of furnishings and none of it was the sort of thing that could be dismantled without special tools or used as a weapon during one of the Irishman's occasional spells of dementia. There were rings to which restraints could be attached set into one wall, on the bed, as well as one hanging from the ceiling for the rare times when being suspended inverted as well as being bound was the only way Farfarello could get through a particularly bad episode. 

All in all, it looked like the den of a madman or the playroom of a sadist, yet to Farfarello who was comfortable within himself, it was simply "home". 

After searching his mind for something, anything, to say to try to find out what Farfarello was thinking and failing to find an answer, Nagi finally sighed sadly and said, "Well, if you're sure you're all right, Farf, I guess I'd better go change."

A curt nod of a close-cropped head was the only reply he received and then the Irishman vanished into his room where he would disinterestedly don the garments which Schuldich had selected for the evening which were laying on his bed. 

Even when Farfarello was in his normal happy-go-lucky almost childlike frame of mind, he relied on the fashion conscious German to keep track of his clothing choices when going into public. His own preferences for leather with numerous straps and buckles worked well for nights such as this one, but under normal circumstances those made him even more likely to be stared at openly than he already was. In a country filled with golden-skinned people whose hair was typically dark, his ghostly pale complexion combined with white hair assured stares, but it did grow tedious.

Shaking his head as he made the short journey to his own bedroom in search of the night's garb, Nagi was so distracted by his worries for Farfarello that he didn't even think to log into the internet briefly and see if Omi was online. He allowed his thoughts to spiral around the Irishman as he put on a custom-made outfit Schuldich had ordered created for him by the same Hong Kong tailor he himself employed for the outfits he and Crawford wore when attending Estet functions. 

With a sigh, Nagi slipped on a dark yet stylish ensemble before reaching for his charcoal gray, calf-length, rain-repellent trench coat, never once contemplating the way the somber colors would make him blend into the background of a rainy night. All four of Estet's premiere operatives had matching trench coats since Schuldich thought it made them look more threatening or somewhat ominous or just plain cool depending on what day you asked him about it. Yet tonight of all nights, that particular fashion decision was destined to have disastrous ramifications. 

Meanwhile, as the other members of Schwarz were getting dressed, Crawford had finished adding notations to the document he'd been working on and rose to place it into the safe concealed in one wall. He had taken only a few steps across the office towards the bold Jackson Pollock original that hid the safe as well as provided the stark room with it's only splash of real color when he was overcome by a powerful vision of the near future. [1] 

Stumbling due to the impact of a precognition that he was understandably shocked by, Crawford went down on one knee and grasped the edge of the coffee table which was in front of the couch hoping the solid surface would help him regain his suddenly reeling senses. It did precious little good, though, and within moments, he gave in to the inevitable and let himself settle onto both knees, eyes closed, as he tried to will his heartbeat to stop racing yet failed. 

Desperate, Crawford reached out with his mind, seeking the only one he ever wanted to allow to see him in so badly weakened a state, asking, {{Schu? I need your help.}}

Baffled by the unexpected plea yet always ready to support the one he loved, Schuldich stopped trying to decide which boots to wear and replied, {{Sure, Brad. Where are you?}}

Crawford was breathing hard and still battling his blood pressure as he merely sent back an image of the office and a sense of urgency.

"Shit!" Schuldich swore aloud, worried since whatever was wrong had to be severe for Crawford to revert to nonverbal telepathic communication and this most likely pointed to a migraine-inducing vision as the culprit behind Crawford's plea for help. With a growl, he silently cursed Estet's commands which couldn't be ignored just because Schwarz's leader might not be in any condition to go out to a noisy club for the night. 

Thanks to the fact that the office and the master bedroom were adjacent to one another, Schuldich was at the kneeling man's side almost immediately. Crouching next to Crawford, he placed steadying hands on broad shoulders and asked telepathically, {{Baby? Are you okay?}}

Raven black hair shifted ever so slightly as Crawford shook his head and replied, {{Help me up, Schu. I don't want the others to see me like this.}}

{{I'll be glad to,}} Schuldich assured, then assisted the taller man onto the leather couch where Crawford settled heavily before pulling off his glasses and rubbing at the pounding sides of his head while moaning very, very softly. Knowing what had happened without needing to be told, he sent worriedly before going to retrieve painkillers and water, {{Damn, baby, another vision? What was it this time?}}

Feeling a little stronger now that he wasn't on the floor and looking like a lost child, the precognitive replied, {{I don't think I can explain it. It makes no sense.}}

Shaking his head angrily over the fact that his lover suffered as badly as he did because of the "gifts" he had no choice but to bear, Schuldich returned to Crawford's side and handed him the things he'd gone to get and urged, {{Why not try me? I'm a good listener.}}

Dark brown eyes filled with a profound gratitude glanced up at caring green ones and even as he swallowed the medicine, Crawford admitted unhappily, {{It was Nagi again.}}

Moving to sit beside his lover and proceeding to massage Crawford's temples for him even if the door was wide open, Schuldich frowned and commented, {{That can't be good.}}

{{No, it isn't,}} Crawford agreed. He didn't bother to remind Schuldich they were flagrantly disregarding their bedroom only arrangements and that they needed to either relocate or cease as he asked, {{Schu? Have you ever seen him cry?}} [2] 

"Say what?!" Schuldich spoke aloud in shock then apologized silently, {{Oh damn, sorry about that, Brad. Didn't mean to make your headache worse, but what're you talking about? I thought the doctors at Rosenkreuz said they thought he was physically incapable of crying.}}

{{They did. That's part of the reason this makes no sense,}} Crawford agreed with a pained sigh. {{Ever since I found him bedraggled, abused, and nearly starved to death as a child, I haven't seen Nagi cry even once. Throughout the pain and agony of his training, through the sorrow of his first cold-blooded killing, to the sheer hell he's suffered as a member of Schwarz, he hasn't shed a tear to my knowledge. But in the vision, he was crying like a baby and pleading with someone about something.}}

Horrified by what the American was telling him, Schuldich allowed his hands to still and he peered deeply into Crawford's eyes as he asked hesitantly, {{Crying *and* begging, Brad? Are you sure that was *our* Nagi you saw? Not some other kid who just looked like him? He's never done either of those things. It sounds impossible.}}

Brows drawing together as the intense pain of the vision swept through him again, Crawford shook his head and stated, {{I could only see his face, Schu, but I'm sure it was our Nagi and none other.}} 

Deciding this was crucial enough to risk paying substantially for his efforts to help, Schuldich sent gently, {{Show me what you saw, Brad.}}

{{What?!}} Crawford sent back worriedly. The very few times they'd dared to share the often intense visions Crawford had spent the better part of a lifetime learning to handle, Schuldich usually found himself barely able to function afterwards. {{You can't be serious, Schu. We've got a mission tonight and you have to be there.}}

Taking a deep breath and then nodding, Schuldich replied, {{I know that, but unless we can figure this out at least a little, I don't want him to leave the penthouse. And I sure as *hell* don't want Nagi anywhere near that child-abusing asshole Glocksten if this is a vision of something that bastard is going to do to him!}}

"Oh, hell," Crawford muttered aloud without realizing it, "I never even thought of that."

With a scowl, Schuldich admitted, "I know you couldn't have known it, but what you just described is almost straight out of one of that filthy pig's fantasies, Brad. Now, please, share with me even a brief flash of what you saw. Maybe I can find something there you couldn't."

With a deep sigh, Crawford hesitantly agreed, saying, "All right. It was a short, incomplete precognition that I couldn't make out the words being said, and I will only give you a fraction of it, but you have to promise me to break the connection if it starts to overwhelm you, understand?" 

Shifting on the couch so that his back was against his lover's strong chest and then leaning into it for the support he knew that he'd need, Schuldich acknowledged, "Absolutely." As he felt Crawford's arms moving to encircle him, he sent, {{I'm ready when you are, Brad.}}

Shaking his head and letting his eyes slip shut as he prepared to do something he knew would bring his partner pain even though he disliked hurting Schuldich for any reason other than what was required in the line of duty, Crawford replied, {{I'm never 'ready' to do this to you, Schu. But it does appear to be necessary.}}

{{Yes, it is,}} Schuldich replied gently, then commanded, {{Do it.}}

There were no additional words shared through their unique bond but instead there was a feeling of unity as they opened their minds far more fully than normal in preparation for the brief yet intense sharing. 

As soon as the brief flash of the vision of Nagi face awash in tears and mouth working madly as he begged for something neither could understand since this was a visual image only without sound passed between them, Schuldich's body shuddered and then went limp.

"Schu?! Schuldich!" Crawford exclaimed, then shifted the inert form in his arms slightly to make sure that his lover had merely passed out as opposed to something far worse. Flame red hair cascaded over his arm as his partner just lay there unmoving for the longest minute and a half of his life. 

Eventually, though, the German stirred slightly then brought a shaky hand to his forehead before moaning, "I think my head is going to explode." 

With an apologetic smile on his lips, Crawford moved to massage Schuldich's temples knowing that always helped him deal with the post-vision pain as he said, "I am terribly sorry for that, love, truly I am."

Casting him a pained green gaze, Schuldich replied, "It's okay, baby. Like I said before, this was necessary." Red eyebrows needled together as he thought over the bizarre image he'd just experienced and he added, "I may have seen it, but I don't believe it, Brad. The very idea that Nagi could act like that still seems impossible."

"I know," Crawford replied sadly before asking, "but did you get a feeling for *why* he might do that, Schu? Without knowing more, we can't prevent this from coming to pass."

With an expression of extreme distaste, the telepath shook his head slightly and answered, "Not a fucking clue." Regretting the unwise motion since it aggravated the headache that had resulted from sharing the vision between them, he turned slightly and buried his face in Crawford's shoulder for a moment as he sent, {{But my money's on that bastard Glocksten being responsible in some fashion. If Estet wouldn't throw a hissy fit about us violating a direct order, I'd say we should leave Nagi out of anything else we have to do with that creep.}}

Heaving a tired, frustrated sigh, Crawford cradled Schuldich close for only a moment more, then helped him to sit back up so they didn't create quite the overly touching tableau while he replied, {{It's his duty to obey their commands as much as it is ours and we both know it.}} He scowled infinitesimally at the annoyed glare this earned him before continuing, {{However, we can certainly make it a point to keep him as far away from Glocksten as possible. Maybe we should even bring Farfarello into our confidence and see if he can help.}}

{{Not a good idea, I'm afraid,}} Schuldich commented as he reached for the painkillers he'd brought for Crawford and obtained a few tablets for himself. Taking them with some of the water left in the glass sitting nearby, he explained, {{He's off in that weird straight line and Euclidean geometry world of his at the moment. I can't make sense of what he's thinking when he's like this and it's anybody's guess how he might react if we tried to tell him we felt our 'client' was any kind of a threat to Nagi.}}

{{Good point,}} Crawford agreed. {{He'd be as likely to simply kill Glocksten outright than to just agree to intercede as needed. Well, in that case, it's just you and me, then, isn't it?}}

Placing the glass back onto the table and then rising so he could finish dressing for their night out, something that would definitely be far less enjoyable than it might have been under other circumstances, Schuldich replied sadly, {{Isn't it usually?}} Running a hand through his hair and trying to recapture his usual jaunty attitude and not succeeding, he added unhappily, {{It's been that way for years, Brad. Why should we expect it to change now?}}

Rising and accompanying his partner to their bedroom since his usual white Armani suit wasn't appropriate for the evening's endeavors, Crawford commented with a sigh that made him sound far older than his years, "I didn't really expect it to change, I merely dared to wish for it." He pushed the door closed with a click, then leaned against it, eyes closed as he added, "How incredibly foolish of me."

Schuldich flashed the precognitive a sad smile and tried to find the words to erase some of the sorrow that had etched a worried crease into Crawford's brow, yet was unsuccessful. Instead, he placed a hand warmly against his lover's face for a moment, wordlessly reassuring him that at least he wasn't alone.

Crawford lightly grasped the hand caressing his cheek then pressed a grateful kiss to its palm before pushing away from the door and silently going to change. 

Shortly thereafter, four handsomely attired men left the confines of the Schwarz penthouse never once imagining that by the time any of them returned, things would be very, very different for their surrogate family. If only Crawford's visions were more complete, a tragedy in the making could have been avoided entirely, but this was always the way of things and they would have to cope as best they could just like everyone else does on a daily basis.

*****

To be continued.

Author's Notes:

[1] For anyone who doesn't recognize the artist of the painting in Crawford's office, Jackson Pollock was an American artist who was in the vanguard of the abstract impressionism movement in the US. He used intense colors and a previously unthinkable drip technique to create bold and moving pieces which I feel would appeal to our straightforward precognitive, a man who would have had to invest a princely sum to get an original, I might add.

[2] Even though it is certainly not canon to assume Nagi can't or won't cry in front of others, he is so non-emotional in the majority of the anime that I felt as if this would hopefully be an acceptable twist for him here.

[Posting Run Dedication] This evening's posting run is dedicated to a person who has been following my "Weiss Kreuz" angst epics almost from the very beginning, the one and only Nalan Li! This kind soul has left me reviews at ff.net, in email, on my LJ, and possibly even MM.org which I would check to confirm, but they're having problems at the moment. Always in favor of more angst even as they are also hoping for a positive outcome at the end, Nalan's tastes in fanfiction mirror my own quite nicely and it's a delight to get to give this dedication to someone as wonderful as he/she is. 

Please be advised: Parts 26 & 27 will be posted together.

Posted: 15 April 2003 ~2:00am EDT


	28. The Blood Drenched Battlefield

Welcome to a special solo chapter edition of the Angst Theatre's debut performance of "Neutral Territory". The departure from the usual multi-chapter posting run approach is so my dear yet badly troubled friend Carter Tachikawa might enjoy at least a few minutes of distraction by sharing some serious bishounen torture that I knew he/she wanted to read. 

Since there is only one oversized chunk of fic being offered tonight, the intro is a simple one and comes with a warning as follows: 

This chapter contains the long-awaited battle scene which brings Weiss, Schwarz, Glocksten, and Charon together in a resounding clash. The depiction of the bodily damage inflicted is somewhat graphic and there is more than one reason to remind everyone this is indeed an "R" rated fic. So the faint of heart are hereby warned and those of you prone to needing a tissue when bad things happen to good bishounen ought to have some Kleenex ready since Lauren, official muse of warnings, said she thought they might be needed by a few readers. 

I apologize to all those fans whose names would be here in the typical "thank you" list if I wasn't in such a rush to get this out tonight. However, as some character in a "Star Trek" movie once told Mr. Spock, occasionally the needs of the one outweigh the needs of the many and this is just such an occasion. I will include a full "thank you" list whenever more of this fic is ready to be released and I beg everyone's indulgence until such a time. This is especially true of my wonderful reviewers here at ff.net where there are now over 200 uplifting and inspiring comments as well as one or two playful death threats if I don't post more right away. I also owe a huge debt of gratitude to the over 70 wonderful souls who have put me on their favorite writers lists here. It makes an amazing difference to know so many people trust me to keep them entertained from time to time.

I sincerely hope that everyone who reads this heart-wrenching, violent, blood-drenched chapter will enjoy it to one degree or another. Remember that your comments will help determine the ultimate outcome of the entire storyline as well as possible sequels, so please send encouraging messages if you wish to influence Melpomene as she makes some rather final decisions in the near future. 

Enjoy the Extreme Angst! 

~~~Enigma~~~

(who sincerely thanks all those who read his LJ and offer support there on a regular basis for their help during the trying period since the last posting run. it's been tough at the Casa de Llama lately but not nearly as tough as Carter has had it, so thanks go to those supporting my special friend in Cary, too)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

****

Title: Neutral Territory [part 28/?]

Author: Enigma

Written: begun October, 2001 

Rating: R 

Pairings: (Omi + Nagi) (Yohji + Ken) (Brad + Schu) 

Category: Shonen ai/Yaoi Angst Friendship Romance Action Violence. AU-OOC. Giftfic.

Archive: fanfiction.net & mediaminer.org [author: "E-sama the Llama"] plus Wuffie.net [author: "Enigma"]

Warnings: shonen ai/yaoi, angst, masculine friendship in many forms, various levels of romance, action, coarse language, whiffs of citrus but nothing detailed, possibly graphic violence, bloodshed, tiny bits of humor, fluff, and sap; more warnings will be added as necessary. AU-OOC. Giftfic for Rubious.

Spoilers: Aya's sister's condition and a few other small things, nothing major.

Disclaimer: "Weiss Kreuz" is the property of Koyasu Takehito and Project Weiss. All original characters featured herein (including but not limited to: Glocksten, Charon, etc.) are © Enigma, 2003, and are not to be used without permission. This unauthorized work of fanfiction is intended for entertainment only; kindly do not sue me.

Notes: Omi's first trip to the public library results in an unexpected meeting when Nagi saves his life without being aware of the Weiss archer's identity. Can two lonely teens overcome the limits of their dark purpose in life to find friendship and possibly love in the midst of "neutral territory"? 

//thoughts// 

{{mental speech}}

*****

Saturday close to midnight. The area surrounding "The White Dog" nightclub.

*****

Even as stylishly dressed men and women enjoyed a night of pulsing music, excellent food, and strong drinks mere meters away, the men of Weiss stealthily awaited their prey with increasingly frazzled nerves. 

From his position on ground level concealed behind "The White Dog's" valet station, Yohji flipped the switch on his headset so he could address his teammates and growled, "No offense, Abyssinian, but I think we've got the wrong damned location." As per standard operating procedure when in a somewhat noisy location, he toggled the microphone back off and continued to scan the people coming and going from the club searching for the man he'd sworn to kill to avenge his murdered friends. [1] 

With a weary sigh since the stimulants that he'd taken were slow to hit his system fully, Aya activated his own microphone and replied with uncharacteristic patience, "Why do you say that, Balinese?" Trying to ease some of the ache that had developed in his right leg due to the cold, damp night air, he adjusted his position slightly where he crouched on the roof in the shadows, leaning heavily on his sheathed katana like an old man would a cane. With an audible wince as the previously broken ankle shifted uncomfortably, he added, "Just bored or do you have an actual reason for saying that?"

From his spot behind the club's sign near the parking lot, Ken shot Omi a worried glance that spoke of his realization that Aya was still far from normal if he didn't just snap at Yohji to shut up and stop bitching the way that he usually would have.

Perched in the branches of a tree near the opposite corner of the building from where Yohji was stationed, Omi peered down at Ken and shook his head sadly to acknowledge that he'd noticed the same thing. He had the best line of sight for the front of the club as well as the short driveway that led behind it to the service entrance, something they didn't need to worry over too much since there wasn't a throughway from there to any of the nearby roads. It had been a stroke of luck to be possibly facing their targets at a place without multiple routes of access, yet it behooved them to make sure Glocksten didn't sneak past them by arriving in a delivery vehicle or something.

Wishing he could have a cigarette but knowing that was impossible since the heavy drizzle that had been falling intermittently would extinguish it almost as soon as he lit it, Yohji brushed wet blond bangs from his eyes. With a frown, he activated his microphone only long enough to answer, "You probably can't hear it up there, but that band you mentioned just finished their second set. If Glocksten was going to be here to listen to them, wouldn't he have shown up by now?"

Toggling his own microphone to the active setting, Omi interjected, "You're the only one of us who's been here before, Balinese. How many sets do you think that they might fit in on a Saturday night?" His worry for Aya prompted him to add, "If this is a legitimate concern, we might want to consider withdrawing and trying again another night." He switched the headset back to receive only and hoped he wouldn't be forced to take command away from Aya as was his right and obligation to the team.

Making matters worse by remaining silent when the team's tactical leader seemed to be overriding his own position as field leader, Aya felt his shoulders drooping and he sighed aloud into the microphone that he'd forgotten was still in the active setting.

"Oh, fuck," Ken murmured to himself and started to give Omi a prearranged visual signal that he felt they had no choice but to abort the mission right then and there if Aya was that far out of his normal range. However, before he could do so, an inky stretch limousine pulled past his position and he quickly activated his microphone to warn, "Heads up, guys. Somebody with a helluva lot of money just showed up. Could be our targets."

"Acknowledged," Abyssinian growled and pushed himself to his feet carefully remaining in the shadows as he attempted to banish the pain in his leg while feeling the familiar surge of adrenaline beginning to caress his bloodstream. As the senses heightening natural drug poured into his veins, it ignited the stimulants he'd consumed earlier and suddenly he was filled with an increased amount of energy that fuzzed his mind and dulled his thinking somewhat. 

"About damned time," Yohji remarked to himself with an eager gleam in his eyes. Silently, he cursed the misty rain which had resumed falling almost the moment the black limousine had pulled up to the curb since the myriad of water droplets were refracting the bright lights of the nightclub and leaving incredibly poor visibility in its wake. 

After switching his headset to send instead of merely receive, Omi commanded, "All mics to active. Let's be ready, team."

Leaving his microphone in the on position, Ken agreed, "You got it, Bombay. Balinese, sing out the minute you can ID whoever is in that thing."

"Not a problem, Siberian," Yohji promised, glad the waiting game was possibly over, yet uncomfortable with the fact that he couldn't see Aya whose voice had done precious little to allay their worst fears. The commitment he and Ken had made to one another regarding bringing the icy swordsman some measure of comfort was high in his mind, yet he could do nothing to protect someone he couldn't even see at that point. 

*****

As all four members of Weiss tensed and readied themselves for possible battle, the six passengers in the limousine were readying themselves in entirely different ways. 

Even though he didn't know why Crawford and Schuldich were so insistent about it, Nagi hadn't argued when he'd been seated as far away from Glocksten as possible, something that put him directly adjacent to Charon who hadn't said two words to him in the course of the evening. 

The heavily built Japanese gunman wasn't particularly pleased to have been brought along to a nightclub, yet he valued the new alliance he was forging with Estet enough to have gone along when he'd been ordered to do so much as Schwarz had been. As the limousine had approached the entrance to "The White Dog", he'd pulled out one of the numerous handguns he had secreted upon himself and checked it for ammunition. After wordlessly releasing the fully loaded clip into one meaty palm, Charon nodded to himself then slammed it back in place with more force than necessary before tucking the weapon back into a shoulder holster under his coat.

Since his mind had been on Omi and thoughts of a Sunday rendezvous in the park, the sudden loud noise caused Nagi to jump slightly and with a nervous expression on his face, he quickly glanced around to see if any of his teammates had noticed his momentary startlement. 

Luckily, Crawford was conversing with Glocksten in an attempt to distract the effeminate man from his usual sick sexual fantasies and thereby grant Schuldich a temporary respite from the odiferous images bombarding him, therefore he hadn't seen it. 

Equally unaware of the way Nagi had reacted to the ominous click of the gun beside him, Farfarello was slowly beginning to transition out of the madness of a reality only he and a very few mathematicians could ever have understood. [2] 

Before he could breathe a sigh of relief, Nagi looked at Schuldich and was startled all over again when he saw the way the telepath was rubbing his temples and trying to banish whatever was causing him the pain that had dulled typically lively green eyes leaving them unfocused. Concerned yet not wanting to admit it since that disproved the now outgrown façade that Schwarz expected Prodigy to display, Nagi stayed silent and only allowed a small moue of worry to cross his lips when Schuldich's hands fell limply to his lap after doing him no good at all. 

Despite not telepathically sensing anything unusual from the telekinetic whose mental shields were now nigh invulnerable, Schuldich's well developed social senses informed him that he was being watched and he captured Nagi's eyes with his own and asked silently, {{What's with the frown, chibi?}}

Completely disregarding the insulting nickname for a change, Nagi replied hesitantly, {{Nothing.}} 

Duly noting the lack of vehemence, the telepath dared to hope for a rare moment of honesty between them and insisted, {{Try again, Nagi. You can't lie worth a damn at times, kid.}} 

Deciding not to risk the humiliation he might receive if he openly expressed concern for the man who so often seemed to live for the joy of making him miserable, Nagi shifted to a safer and equally vexing matter by asking, {{Is Farf going to be okay, Schuldich? I can't stand the way he's been so silent all evening.}} He threw a glance at the older teen who sat as motionless as a piece of statuary on the side of the limousine opposite Crawford and Glocksten, then added, {{It gives me the creeps when he's so remote like this.}}

Huffing slightly and offering a half-smirk, Schuldich opened the connection to the Irishman ever so slightly before confirming, {{It would appear our one-eyed psycho is coming back to Earth from wherever the hell he goes when everything he thinks is one incomprehensible math equation after another.}} An elegant shrug failed to distract Nagi from the way the smirk briefly shifted to a wince when the light probe served to aggravate the lingering headache from the earlier shared vision even as he added, {{Give him a few hours and he ought to be back to "normal".}}

Nodding slightly to acknowledge his understanding, Nagi was about to give in and voice his curiosity about Schuldich's obvious distress when Crawford announced, "The rain's not letting up, so we'll go in now." 

As he reached for the handle on the door near him, Crawford silently informed his team to be on their guard yet didn't specify this was especially needful since Schuldich wasn't up to his usual mental sweeps of the area surrounding them before they stepped out onto the wet pavement. The fact that the telepath couldn't perform his typical recognizance meant they were going out "blind", but there was no reason a priori for the leader of Schwarz to anticipate trouble. 

Running long, almost feminine fingers through flowing golden brown hair which he then twirled around a fingertip as Crawford and Farfarello stepped out into the rain ahead of him, Glocksten remarked while sending a pointed glance at Nagi, "I sincerely hope we haven't missed the band that I wanted to hear." Daring to rake his eyes over the telekinetic's slender form, he added before climbing out of the limousine and into the rainy night, "I do *so* wish to get out on the dance floor with you, Herr Naoe."

Sudden fury flared in jade green eyes as Schuldich growled at the German fiend whose unwholesome desires for his youngest teammate were once more all too obvious, "There's no fucking way *that's* going to happen, you bastard!" 

While the Schwarz telepath was distracted by his justifiable anger, Charon had followed Glocksten totally disinterested when Schuldich climbed out in a rush behind him and was immediately followed by Nagi who was baffled by the redhead's sudden ire. 

During the few moments that it had taken the six men to emerge from the limousine, Yohji's view had been blocked by two of the valets who were gossiping about the newly arrived luxury vehicle. As luck would have it, the other members of Weiss all had trouble of their own seeing the new arrivals, as well. Omi's view was blocked by the limousine itself and both Ken and Aya were finding that the light refracted by the rain's saturating mist made identification impossible. 

However, the very moment Balinese recognized first Glocksten and then Charon, he reached for his deadly wire and pushed past the uniformed men standing nearby while shouting into his microphone, "It's them!" In his rush to deliver justice to the man responsible for killing many fine police officers, he failed to realize the men in the dark and concealing trench coats surrounding their targets were their nemeses known as Schwarz. 

What happened next occurred so swiftly that it takes far longer to describe than it did to reach a conclusion.

"Attack!" Aya cried unnecessarily since the rest of Weiss was already in motion. Distantly grateful for the stimulants whose potentially hazardous chemical natures he truly did not understand were burning their way through his system, he thumbed his katana free from its scabbard and moved to launch himself from the roof. 

At the greatest distance from their opponents, Ken wasted neither time nor breath on words and merely sprang forth from behind the sign, bugnuks fully extended and ready for action as he rushed towards the impending conflict as quickly as his powerfully muscled legs could carry him. 

With a single, catlike leap, Omi uttered a wordless battle cry and threw himself into the thick of the action even though he hadn't even seen their opponents yet. He had darts in both hands as he jumped from the tree intending to land on the roof of the limousine and thereby afford himself an excellent position from which to defend his comrades or attack their targets if necessary. In his heart, he hoped both Yohji and Aya would be able to destroy the men whose existence had brought so much sorrow since vengeance had a purifying effect on those who needed it most, but he would intervene if they failed. 

Even as the members of Weiss moved like a well oiled machine intent on destruction, the men of Schwarz were initially unaware of them since Schuldich had exited the limousine loudly making it completely clear to his countryman that he was to leave Nagi the hell alone. As the sounds of the voices of the attacking assassins drowned out Schuldich's words, the men assigned to guard Glocksten and Charon moved quickly to locate their foes yet were a heartbeat too slow to interfere with destiny's intentions.

When Nagi had turned towards him searching the parking area around them with a hand outstretched as he called forth his powers, Omi had finally realized who the smallest of the figures he could barely make out as he alighted upon the limousine's roof truly was. With a shocked gasp, the blue-eyed archer froze and made himself an instant target.

With a guttural snarl, Charon deftly snapped his wrist and a custom-made three-shot Smith & Wesson rocketed into his hand too fast for the eye to follow and before anyone could do a thing about it, he emptied two of the chambers straight into Omi's upper torso. 

"OMI!!" Nagi screamed and jumped to catch the falling youth who tumbled forwards off the roof of the limousine already unconscious due to the severe trauma inflicted upon him. The telekinetic ignored similar cries of the horribly wounded boy's name even as he belatedly raised his personal shield a fraction too late to prevent Charon's final bullet from ripping a bloodied channel through his own upper left arm. 

Tears instantaneously poured forth from midnight blue eyes not in response to his own searing pain but rather in an expression of extreme sorrow since Nagi assumed no one could have their chest ripped asunder as severely as the boy in his arms had and live. Terrifying though it was to acknowledge the facts for what they were, their friendship was so new and beautiful, to lose it this way after truly knowing each other less than a week hurt him far worse than any of the times he'd been raped or abused as a child. 

"Omi!" Ken had shouted when the very first bullet had slammed into his friend and gouged a burning passageway through several internal organs before blasting through his back in a fountain of blood. His brown eyes were filled with fear as Charon added a second equally drastic injury to Omi's body and then as Nagi intervened, he stopped stock still since the surreal scene before him made no sense.

Yohji, however, experienced no such hesitation and had his deadly wire firmly extended between his gloved hands as he raced towards Charon shouting, "You fucking bastard!!" 

The former private detective's vengeance was sadly denied him as Crawford swiftly drew a .357 Magnum of his own, pressed the barrel to the despised murderer's head, and pulled the trigger without so much as a word. Even though he'd been commanded by Estet to protect the infamous Japanese cop killer, Crawford's basically paternal feelings for his youngest teammate overshadowed his orders and he wasn't about to let Charon hurt Nagi the way that he had and live. What dreadful price Crawford would be forced to pay at a later date for betraying Estet would remain to be seen, but at that moment, whatever it might be seemed worth it.

When the devastating bullet slammed into it, Charon's skull exploded like a jack-o'-lantern that some malicious trick-or-treater had dropped a powerful firecracker into. Bits of bone and gray matter cascaded over Crawford and Farfarello in a shower of carnage before the heavy corpse fell to the ground in a wet heap. 

Schuldich had been spared the gory spattering since he was rushing to Nagi's side shouting the boy's name both mentally and verbally, yet was getting responses to neither before finding himself repulsed by the telekinetic's shield which still surrounded both bleeding teens. 

Meanwhile, even as the tragic first blood was being spilled upon the field of battle, Aya had made good on his own plan to leap from the roof of the nightclub in his trademark executioner's fashion with the intention of destroying the man who had ruined so many children's lives. With even greater fury than he'd felt before, he brought the razor-sharp edge of his katana down at an angle as he'd descended, maroon trench coat flaring around him like the wings of an enraged demon as he shouted, "Shi-ne, Glocksten!" 

Predictably, a single powerful slice of the blade was all that was required to put an end to Glocksten's despicable existence. With a crimson geyser of blood, the German's neatly severed head flew free of his neck even as his body collapsed forwards to lay chest down on the wet pavement where it continued to pulse forth a red river that the misty rain immediately began to wash away. 

Glocksten's wide-eyed, disembodied head came to a halt at the feet of the two valets who were the only ones unfortunate enough to be witness to the brief and violent conflict. With shared screams of horror, they bolted away from the staring visage that would now haunt their dreams for the rest of their lives through no fault of their own, never once pausing to call for the police or other appropriate aid. 

His own bloodstream continuing to sing with adrenaline combined with the highly illegal herbal stimulant he'd unwisely ingested earlier in the night, Aya was too on edge to note the wrenching pain that coursed up his right leg when he landed on the unforgiving pavement. His knee, however, was well aware of the sudden agony and it buckled slightly even as Crawford was in the act of claiming retribution for his youngest teammate's sorrow. 

With a livid snarl, Aya forced himself to keep going and he resumed motion fully intending to gut the American precognitive for denying Yohji his vengeance, yet found his blade blocked by a pair of wickedly sharp daggers when Farfarello got in his way. 

The Irishman merely lifted an eyebrow in a moderately intrigued manner, but said nothing as an expert twist of his wrists disarmed the Weiss swordsman and left Aya weaponless yet still dangerous. Even though he was still closer to the madness of pure arithmetic than he was his usual carefree, semi-lucid state, Farfarello knew well that the scarlet-haired man could be a formidable foe in hand-to-hand combat and he remained on guard against a further attack that did not come. [3]

When he'd realized that his quest for vengeance would now go permanently unfulfilled, Yohji might have also turned on the man who had taken the honor of killing Charon from him except that Nagi's voice rose up in a panicked shout to beg, "Help! Somebody help me!" 

Curled protectively around the unmoving form of the treasured youth who had introduced him to the wonders of both kisses and hugs barely 24 hours prior, Nagi was using his telekinesis to apply direct pressure as best he could to the hideous wounds torn in Omi's body. Unfortunately, it did relatively little good since the damage was so extensive and the archer's lifeblood continued to seep forth and drench the fifteen year old mercilessly. 

All six assassins still on their feet turned their full attention toward the two bleeding teens and it was Schuldich who expressed what was in all of their minds when he demanded, "What is the meaning of this, Nagi?!"

Yohji agreed with his own demand, "What the hell is going on here?!" 

Delicate features awash in tears and transformed into a mask of nearly unspeakable grief and sorrow, Nagi begged piteously, "Please, help me! Omi's bleeding to death!" The effort of supporting Omi with only one functional arm was draining him badly, so he allowed his personal shield to dissipate and thereby give him more power to keep Omi close. 

As Nagi's entreating words fell from trembling lips, Crawford and Schuldich both were hit with the realization that this was the exact image from the painful precognition suffered and shared mere hours earlier. Their youngest teammate, or rather, their friend who had no way of knowing they considered him that, cried profusely even as he begged the eldest member of Weiss for aid. 

Ken was the first to actually get to the fallen teens' sides, and quickly sheathed his claws as he reached to take Omi away from a boy who he only knew as an enemy and demanded, "Give him to me, Schwarz!"

Unwilling to be parted from Omi for fear the once genki youth might die without his superhuman abilities performing unnatural first aid, Nagi shook his head and explained, "I can't! I'm holding his wounds closed as best I can with my powers!" He turned pleading, watery eyes towards his leader's imposing, blood-drenched figure and begged, "Please, Crawford, let Weiss take me with Omi to get him some medical help! I don't care what you do to me later, kill me if you must, but he'll *die* if I let go of him now!" 

Since he now understood the truly life-altering enormity of the vision he'd endured in his office, Crawford blanked all emotion from his face as he replied stonily, "You need medical attention yourself, Prodigy. I will take you both to a hospital myself." Ignoring the terrifying mess all over his charcoal gray trench coat, he stepped towards the two boys intending to get them into the limousine and rush them to the nearest medical center, Estet's precious secrecy be damned. 

"You're not taking them anywhere, asshole!" Yohji shouted as he readied his wire once more intending to use it only if necessary since this entire situation pushed the definition of the word "bizarre" to new heights and he was no longer certain who was friend or foe.

The hope that had flared to life in Nagi's tear-filled eyes when Crawford had unexpectedly offered them assistance dwindled only slightly as he turned towards Yohji and pleaded, "Please, don't interfere! Omi needs help right away!" 

Baffled yet ready to intervene himself if need be, Ken angrily demanded, "Why the hell should we trust you, Schwarz?" 

Even as he struggled to his feet, wounded arm dangling down uselessly at his side as his powers helped him to lift Omi's inert form upwards for Crawford's assistance, Nagi pleaded, "I know all this sounds crazy, but if you can't trust 'Nagi', then trust 'Xavier', okay?!" 

"'Xavier'?!" 

Ken's shocked exclamation was almost lost as Nagi babbled on by way of explanation and proof, "Please believe me because *I* am Omi's friend 'Xavier'! We went to dinner last night and he wore a shirt you picked out for him and, oh, please!" With a heart wrenching sob, he added pleadingly, "We've got to go *now* or he might not survive!"

Astounded past the ability to reply, Ken fell back a half-step and inadvertently created space for Schuldich to be able to wrap his unsoiled coat over the two injured teens and thereby create a barrier to keep Charon's potentially disease-laden blood from mingling with their own. Not bothering to congratulate himself on sparing the two young assassins a possible brush with any number of horrific diseases, he then moved aside as Crawford reached for Nagi and Omi, pulling both teens into his powerful arms and lifting them with relative ease. 

Yohji was about to growl a refusal to believe what sounded like one of Schuldich's mind tricks when the Weiss field leader unexpectedly put an end to the heated discussion. 

Violet eyes narrowed with an expression of intense concentration as he forced aside the mental haziness that was confounding him, Aya instinctively came to the conclusion that Nagi was telling the truth and commanded, "Siberian, Balinese, stand down! Let them take him."

"But, Aya---" Ken's anguished disagreement died in his throat as he finally took a good look at his scarlet-haired teammate and saw an almost unnerving combination of pain, determination, and grief etched in fine lines across a handsome face that had been disfigured by misery far too much recently.

Disregarding the worried expression on Ken's face entirely, Aya turned his attention to Nagi who Crawford was loading into the limousine and warned, "Be careful with him." Flicking his gaze across the frighteningly ashen face of the blond in the sable-haired youth's arms, he added, "He's important to us." 

Shaking his head as previously unheard of tears continued to flow down his pale cheeks, Nagi replied, "Not as important as he is to me." 

The discussion was then abruptly terminated as first Farfarello and then Schuldich clambered into the black vehicle, leaving Crawford behind only long enough to tell Aya, "We will take them to Komagome Hospital. [4] Meet us there." He didn't wait for a reply as he joined his teammates before the driver who had never once had a chance to step out of the limousine whisked them away as ordered.

Yohji had duly noted both Aya and Ken's emotion-filled expressions and knew there were a lot of explanations owed between the three of them, yet chose only to ask, "Abyssinian? Are you sure this was the best thing to do?" 

Not wishing to see the pain or pity that filled his teammates' eyes, Aya turned his back on Ken and Yohji as he replied, "There was no choice." Disregarding the two corpses at their feet as well as the unfortunate hysterical waitress who had stepped outside for a break and discovered the horrific scene, he turned to retrieve his blood-soaked katana. Slipping in some of what had once been Charon's brain, his right knee once again buckled under him and he very nearly fell.

"Aya!" Yohji exclaimed and swooped into position beside his teammate, expertly wrapping an arm around the redhead's waist supportively even as he pulled one of Aya's hands over his shoulders and lifted him back to his feet once more. "What's wrong?!" He demanded even as they began to make their way to where Yohji's roadster was openly parked in "The White Dog's" parking lot as if they come for a night of revelry instead of one of death and destruction. 

Moving with his usual agility and grace, Ken reclaimed the fallen blade and then trotted after his teammates quickly enough to hear Aya growl, "It's nothing." The fact that he hadn't pushed Yohji away and allowed him to almost carry him to the car blatantly disproved his words, however.

Agonized as he yanked his orange sweatshirt from around his waist and used it as a makeshift scabbard for Aya's treasured katana, Ken inquired unhappily, "It's your ankle again, isn't it, Aya? Did it get broken again when you landed or something?"

"It is *not* broken," Aya insisted with a pained hiss and the fact that they were nearly to the two-seater sports car that was their destination put an end to the discussion.

Heaving a mournful sigh, Ken peered at his lover and wordlessly asked if there was any hope at all that Weiss might survive this tragic night. 

With an equally discouraged expression, Yohji just shook his head and offered instead, "We'll meet you at the hospital, all right, Ken?" 

Moving to mount his motorcycle which was parked between Yohji's car and Omi's bike, Ken nodded sadly before replying, "Yeah, Yohji. I just hope we aren't too late."

"Same here," Yohji commented even as he turned the key in the ignition and the high powered engine roared to life prior to speeding the two of them off into the rainy night. 

The sound of sirens drifted past Ken's range of hearing and he really didn't care about the police or rescue squad or whoever else was about to arrive and have to cope with the slaughter they'd left behind themselves. As always, Kritiker would cover Weiss' tracks for them much as they would at the hospital where Omi would hopefully be already receiving treatment by the time they arrived. If he had survived the journey there, of course.

Soon Ken's Kawasaki would carry him away and as midnight tolled in a nearby church steeple, there was no way to predict what other shocking events the hours of darkness would hold for not only the men of Weiss but also those of Schwarz as well.

*****

To be continued.

Author's Notes:

[1] Whether the members of Weiss would or would not leave their microphones on during a mission ought to be determined by their surroundings in my humble opinion. Hence, since there would be a great deal of background noise around them in the parking area outside a nightclub, I've opted to have them use a very specific procedure for activating them only when needed and I hope this makes good sense to everyone reading this.

[2] Several kind readers wondered if Farfarello was sane during the scenes in chapter 27 and the answer is a most definite "no" as long as sanity is defined as the ordinary mental state most people exist in on a regular basis. Being lost in the world of higher mathematics is well outside that state, and therefore he was as lost at that point as he is when in the psychopathic berserker mode the series creators defined for him.

[3] I've looked forward to writing the battle scene featured here for over a year and a half. I'm more than a little nervous about presenting it, but since my last significant battle with massive bloodshed was Kagetsuya and Messiah's showdown with Gorilla and his men in the bank in last year's "Turning Point" fic, I hope I haven't lost my touch at creating believable mayhem. 

[4] The hospital where Omi and Nagi are taken for treatment does indeed exist and is located in northern Tokyo, but beyond this, all other facts about it offered here are fictional and of my own creation as will be the medical staff they encounter there. Just to keep the record straight, allow me to remind everyone that this story is *not* connected to the continuity established in "Cold November Rain" and therefore Norwegian, et al, at my fictional "Tokyo General Hospital" as well as at "Kritiker Medical Center" will not appear in this story.

[Posting Run Dedication] As everyone can already surmise, this evening's special edition of "Neutral Territory" is dedicated to Carter Tachikawa and I sincerely hope the preceding angst-fest helped lighten his/her spirits. If you, too, wish to offer this wonderfully talented writer and all around great person words of encouragement, look for their page at LiveJournal.com under the username of "coldwriter". 

[Additional Dedications] Glocksten's gruesome death scene is hereby dedicated to my kitten-koi, Ryoko for whom that particular piece of nasty badass was designed. She wanted to see an ex-boyfriend die spectacularly and I hope this was sufficient without being pandering. Charon's destruction which was intended to be reminiscent of the style of "Berserk" is hereby dedicated to my brother, Rubious. Even though this character wasn't specifically designed to represent a corporate entity, Charon might be considered a personification of the uncaring cruelty upper management of the company he works for shows its employees at times and perhaps he will enjoy seeing them literally blown away. 

Please be advised: Part 28 will be posted alone.

Posted: 01 May 2003 ~2:00am EDT


	29. Beginning to Pick up the Pieces

Welcome once again to the Angst Theatre's debut showing of "Neutral Territory". 

I apologize for the unexpected delay in getting more of this story to everyone, however a most unfortunate turn of events earlier this month derailed my muses and me rather badly. But thanks to the aid of many good friends as well as my family, we've finally gotten back on our feet and I wanted to make sure to release the latest pair of chapters prior to taking another small yet preplanned break to go and enjoy the marvels of Animazement.

Tonight's performance features the first scenes of the aftermath of the battle outside "The White Dog" nightclub. In the course of two hopefully entertaining chapters, new alliances will be formed, old ones will become endangered, and the extent of the injuries Omi, Nagi, and Aya had suffered will be revealed. Also, the lines of communication between Weiss and Schwarz as well as within Schwarz itself are opened in time to reveal some unexpected things.

Due to the fact that these chapters were still being edited less than 12 hours before I'm supposed to go pick my anime-loving little brother up from the airport, I'm afraid I didn't have time to get a proper "thank you" list together this evening. However, I still fervently wish to express my appreciation to everyone who has posted a comment here at ff.net or at MM.org as well as those who said something supportive on-list or privately. I couldn't have weathered this most recent storm without these kind words to fall back on and I am truly grateful to you all for your encouragement.

Before I turn you loose on the story, may I take a split second to thank those of you who have added me to your list of favorites here at ff.net? I glanced at that tonight and saw that six new friends had added me to theirs since the last chapter went up and that made me feel so wonderful! I really appreciate your kindness and I will work hard on getting you more of this story as soon as the convention ends and my brother heads back home next week sometime.

Enjoy the Angst!

~~~Enigma~~~

(who also apologizes for being way behind on email, LJ comments, and everything else these days, but until after things get back to normal next Tuesday night, there's precious little chance that will change, gomenasai minna-san!)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

****

Title: Neutral Territory [part 29/?]

Author: Enigma

Written: begun October, 2001 

Rating: R 

Pairings: (Omi + Nagi) (Yohji + Ken) (Brad + Schu) 

Category: Shonen ai/Yaoi Angst Friendship Romance Action Violence. AU-OOC. Giftfic.

Archive: fanfiction.net & mediaminer.org [author: "E-sama the Llama"] plus Wuffie.net [author: "Enigma"]

Warnings: shonen ai/yaoi, angst, masculine friendship in many forms, various levels of romance, action, coarse language, whiffs of citrus but nothing detailed, possibly graphic violence, bloodshed, tiny bits of humor, fluff, and sap; more warnings will be added as necessary. AU-OOC. Giftfic for Rubious.

Spoilers: Aya's sister's condition and a few other small things, nothing major.

Disclaimer: "Weiss Kreuz" is the property of Koyasu Takehito and Project Weiss. All original characters featured herein (including but not limited to: Glocksten, Charon, etc.) are © Enigma, 2003, and are not to be used without permission. This unauthorized work of fanfiction is intended for entertainment only; kindly do not sue me.

Notes: Omi's first trip to the public library results in an unexpected meeting when Nagi saves his life without being aware of the Weiss archer's identity. Can two lonely teens overcome the limits of their dark purpose in life to find friendship and possibly love in the midst of "neutral territory"? 

//thoughts// 

{{mental speech}}

*****

Sunday very early morning. Various locations in Komagome Hospital.

*****

For the men of Weiss and Schwarz, two hours passed agonizingly slowly following the bloody conflict outside "The White Dog" nightclub that left two vile criminals dead and three accomplished assassins injured to varying extents. 

As a large group of talented surgeons desperately strove to save the fading life of Tsukiyono Omi in Komagome Hospital's main operating room, a smaller group worked equally diligently on repairing Naoe Nagi's left arm. Unlike the blond whose horrendous wounds were definitely life-threatening, the sable-haired boy was very nearly guaranteed a full recovery and yet this was of little comfort to him. 

While inserting the last of the many sutures required to close the bullet wound in Nagi's upper arm, the surgeon informed an intern standing nearby, "Once I'm finished here, I want the patient moved to the recovery room and another unit of blood should be administered." Drug hazed orbs the color of lapis lazuli peered out from under heavy eyelids and Nagi moaned slightly, inspiring an additional comment of, "Just relax, Naoe. You'll be fine again in no time." 

Shaking his head wearily, Nagi disagreed saying, "No, I won't be." The local anesthesia that kept him from feeling any of the extensive poking and prodding necessary to close a nicked artery as well as to repair various muscle groups had been supplemented with a light sedative which left him vulnerable enough to add, "Not unless Omi is okay, too."

"'Omi'?" The doctor echoed curiously even as he set aside his tools and moved aside to allow a nurse to begin applying the thick bandages necessary to protect the newly closed wound. 

"That's the other young gunshot victim being worked on in OR-1, doctor," a voice replied as the head of the anesthesiology department walked in to make sure all was well for the less injured of her two patients of the moment. 

Nagi turned his head slightly hoping to catch a glimpse of the person who had spoken and noted a frowning middle-aged woman who he asked, "How is he doing? Will he be all right?" 

Stepping closer, the woman shook her head and said sadly, "I'm afraid it's much too early to say, son." With an unhappy sigh, she added as kindly as she could, "I've never seen anyone suffer quite so much damage and live, but I've also never seen a patient arrive that severely torn up and yet not bled dry. Some kind of miracle must've kept him from bleeding to death on the way here."

Despite the fact that he'd just been reassured that the extreme effort he'd put into using his telekinesis to reduce Omi's bleeding after Charon had shot him twice very nearly pointblank, Nagi found no solace in the anesthesiologist's words. Firmly refusing to allow himself to break down and cry right there on the operating table, he let his eyes slip shut once more before he said quietly, "If he doesn't live, then I don't want to either." 

A helpful voice in the back of Nagi's mind pointed out how easy it would be to use his powers to tear out every last one of the stitches holding his injured arm together. If the admitting nurse's comment about the belt-cum-tourniquet that Schuldich had put on him was correct and he could've bled to death en route to the hospital, he had an easy solution should suicide be determined to be preferable to life without the boy who had introduced him to true joy. 

"That's a bit extreme, don't you think?" The surgeon asked as he stripped off his bloodied gloves and placed them in a biohazardous waste container before adding something Nagi would've considered a bland platitude if his mind had been clearer, "Besides, where there is life there is hope. He has the best surgeons our hospital has to offer working on him right now and will have every chance to survive that they can give him."

"This is quite true," the anesthesiologist interjected, then lightly touched Nagi's shoulder for only a moment to get him to open his eyes before she added, "For now, though, you need to focus on yourself and let us do our own jobs. Now, how many fingers am I holding up?" Noting two somewhat unfocused dark blue eyes were peering at her hand, she extended a pair of fingers.

"Um, two?" Nagi said uncertainly, then added, "They're really fuzzy, though."

Nodding and then jotting a notation on her patient's chart, the anesthesiologist commented, "That's because of the sedative we gave you combined with your decreased blood level. Your vision should be fine in a few hours, though, so don't worry about it."

"Oh, all right," Nagi replied dispiritedly. 

"He can be taken to recovery now," the woman instructed and after he was transferred to a gurney, Nagi was taken into a large, softly lit area where a nurse would monitor his vital signs and he would nervously await word of Omi's progress. 

After the Schwarz psychic had been taken from the room, the surgeon turned to the anesthesiologist and asked, "Just between you and me, how *is* the other boy doing?" 

Heaving a tired sigh, the woman shook her head and replied, "It doesn't look good, I'm afraid. Both lungs have entry as well as exit wounds, there is damage to his liver, spleen, and several other organs, plus his diaphragm and quite a few ribs are torn up fairly badly. If he survives the night, it will be quite a surprise, but it would take something truly incredible for him to recover completely."

"That bad?" The doctor asked. When the woman nodded, he sighed and commented, "Then we'll need to consider a suicide watch for Naoe if that eventuality comes to pass. For now, though, I believe I need to go let the people waiting on him know how the surgery went. Are they in the waiting room?" 

"Yes, and don't forget to speak with the three men who are waiting on Tsukiyono, too. The tall blond one mentioned they were concerned when I passed him outside x-ray while the redhead was being checked over."

"Oh?" The surgeon looked puzzled then shrugged lightly and said, "I had no idea there were quite so many people involved in these two cases, but the boys were apparently shot by the same person, so I guess it makes sense." 

After they stepped out of the sterile environment of the operating room, the two physicians went their separate ways. The anesthesiologist returned to the tense atmosphere surrounding Omi's inert form and the doctor made a brief stop to strip off bloodied surgical scrubs and put on something less frightening before talking with whoever wanted to know about Nagi's condition.

At the same moment that the surgeon stepped into the waiting room, so did a trio of men wearing clothes that were unusual for them and whose faces were each a veritable tapestry of emotions yet revealed only a vague fraction of the turmoil each felt. 

Since they'd all arrived with blood contaminating their assassins' garb, the men of Weiss and Schwarz both had been commanded to change into some of the unisex scrubs the hospital provided for their personnel and whomever else required it. 

There was no hesitation for Aya, Yohji, or Ken all of whom had varying amounts of Glocksten's foul-smelling lifeblood spread upon them after assisting one another from the field of battle as well as into the emergency room in the first place. Crawford was more than glad to be rid of the gory remains of Charon's blood and gray matter. Farfarello who had also been caught in the cascade of organic filth as the murderer had been executed, didn't care one way or the other at the time, but now that he was even closer to his usual relaxed self, he found the drab garments amusing. Only Schuldich had been less than enthusiastic about giving up his stylish ensemble, but whether that was for the sake of fashion or that it was Nagi's blood upon his own clothes was never revealed. 

Blood tainted garments weren't the only things the two rival assassin teams had set aside upon their arrival at the hospital, however.

Despite it never once being brought up since neither leader wished to broach the verbal gulf between them first, Aya and Crawford had wordlessly agreed to a truce once Weiss arrived slightly later than Schwarz had. This rendered the hospital more of a demilitarized zone than a true neutral territory, though. 

If he hadn't been as out of sorts as he was, it would've taken relatively little to ignite the smoldering rage that had existed in Aya's heart ever since the first time he saw Crawford escorting Takatori Reiji to safety. The swordsman would never forget the powerlessness he'd felt as Ken held him back and prevented him from doing anything even more foolish than launching his katana at the departing helicopter in a vain attempt at preventing his greatest enemy from escaping. 

Leading the way although he was now on crutches and looking only slightly less dangerous than normal, Aya's expression was one of anger mixed with a sense of pain that was both physical and emotional as the remaining members of Weiss approached those of Schwarz. He felt betrayed by his body as well as by his youngest teammate, but what he was concealing was the utter confusion he felt after two hours of being treated to Yohji's overprotective nature in a manner Ken alone usually was. 

Then again, the older man's brunette lover hadn't been any less subtle about insisting Aya receive medical care when he had initially refused any offers of aid. Eventually, of course, Aya had caved in and allowed the emergency room personnel to do what needed to be done. After extensive x-rays to be absolutely sure there were no broken bones hiding from them, it was determined that he'd severely sprained the same ankle that he'd broken a few months prior as well as straining his right knee in the process. 

The proud swordsman had drawn the line at being confined to a wheelchair, however, and now was hobbling along determinedly despite the elastic bandages that did nothing to conceal the fact that his right ankle was now the size of a large cantaloupe and was clearly causing him pain. [1] Because of the way Aya's leg looked as well as the occasional uncomfortable grunt that he couldn't suppress, Yohji and Ken were careful to remain close to him with every step, flanking him like an honor guard as they made their way into the waiting room.

The only bright spot in an otherwise horrifically dark night had been the fact that the unknown stimulants Aya had consumed earlier in an unwise effort to compensate for his sleep-deprived condition had already started to be metabolized and thereby destroyed by his system. Soon, the extreme exhaustion would catch up to him again, but this was better than many of the other options that fate might have chosen for him. [2] 

Staying close by Aya as he had almost from the moment they'd arrived, Yohji's elegant features were a mask of concern and determination that was for once unfettered by his omnipresent sunglasses since they, too, had become contaminated by blood. 

Alert jade eyes shifted rapidly from Aya's injured leg to Ken's slightly distant expression and back again, as Yohji tried to balance all that he had done since they'd arrived at Komagome Hospital. Having decided while en route that he would take charge of matters, Yohji had forcefully insisted on the medical treatment Aya had refused even as Ken had the worrisome task of staying abreast of the progress of the surgical team who was endeavoring to save Omi's life. 

There had been a few harsh words exchanged between himself and the redhead whom he still intended to try to get to smile someday, yet Yohji couldn't bring himself to regret his actions as violet eyes narrowed in pain as Aya's crutches failed him slightly and he nearly stumbled. 

"Careful, Aya," Yohji murmured even as he placed a stabilizing and hopefully comforting hand on the slightly shorter man's back. 

The soft growl of acknowledgement was far less vehement than it normally would have been and there was a small look of victory in his eyes as Yohji glanced at Ken to see if he'd noted the short exchange. 

Unfortunately, Ken's deep brown eyes were still focused on something no one else could see and he missed the actions of the two men he was walking beside as they approached the isolated corner of the waiting room where Schwarz had temporarily taken up residence. 

The former goalkeeper was lost in thought and the sorrowful expression on his face was one he was unaware of. Ken was replaying in his mind some of the conversations that he'd had with Omi when he had incorrectly assumed that "Xavier" was just another high school student. He recalled urging his young coworker to have fun and enjoy life with his new found friend and possible love interest, but now he wondered if he hadn't done Omi a terrible disservice by doing so. 

Ken felt doubly guilty for his role in promoting Omi and Nagi's blossoming affections as the memory of a man who he himself trusted unwisely when he was the same age as the boy whose lilting alto he might never hear again rose up within him. A flicker of pain crossed his mind as his nails bit into the flesh of his palm where he'd clenched his hand into a fist without realizing it even though thoughts of the lover who had betrayed him always had this effect on Ken. With a sigh, he forced himself to relax, then threw Yohji an apologetic glance even as they approached the corner of the room where Crawford and Schuldich had risen in acknowledgement of the surgeon's arrival. 

The slender blond returned the gaze briefly and wordless support passed between them both before they heard the doctor ask, "Are you the men waiting for news about Naoe Nagi?" 

"We are," Crawford's commanding baritone replied.

"So are we," Aya stated flatly before leaning heavily on his crutches instead of doing the logical thing and sitting down so that his leg would have less stress on it than it did at the moment. Stubbornly, he refused to show weakness in the presence of his enemies, yet in so doing, he was only making things harder on himself than they needed to be.

Taking a moment to gaze at the six men whose full attentions were upon him, the doctor distantly wondered what exactly had lead to the shootings of the two boys currently in the hospital's care. However, he deferred any inquiry about it to the police detectives who would undoubtedly arrive before too much longer. 

Not appreciating the delay, Schuldich inquired archly, "Well? Is there news about Nagi or not?!" The power in his voice and the sense of protectiveness that seemed to radiate from him didn't go unnoticed by anyone there, but only Crawford and Farfarello knew how uncharacteristic such expressions were. 

Breaking off the useless train of thought he'd been following, the surgeon cleared his throat and stated, "Yes, there is indeed. The surgery went quite well and he is now resting in the recovery room." He scratched his chin thoughtfully, then explained, "We were able to repair the damaged artery with only a modicum of difficulty. Gladly there was no trauma to the bone, so the only other thing we had to do was some fairly extensive reconstruction of the muscle layers that had been disturbed by the bullet's passing as well as the skin, of course. Oh, and we had to administer a fair amount of blood, too, but I assumed that went without saying."

Crawford nodded once, then asked, "Then the prognosis is good?"

"Definitely." The surgeon smiled and stated, "A full recovery should be only a matter of time, rest, and pain management medication."

"Good!" Schuldich interjected and was about to ask how soon they could speak with Nagi, but the arrival of a hospital volunteer forestalled him. 

"Excuse me, doctor," the young woman offered shyly before bowing apologetically and stating, "There's a patient in the recovery room asking for someone named Crawford and someone else he called Aya-kun. Is this the right group of people to check with?"

Even though surprised by the form of address typically Omi alone used for him, Aya never hesitated for a moment before replying flatly, "Yes." Iced amethyst eyes regarded the former boxer who had once enjoyed beating him seemingly mercilessly yet found an absence of enmity in his mahogany eyes that allowed him to add, "We can see him together, right, Crawford?" He placed a slight emphasis on the American's name since he'd not known what it was previously, yet felt like this was the time to address that omission. 

Expression carefully neutral despite having noted the attempt at civility and distantly appreciating it, Crawford nodded and replied to both Aya and the volunteer, "Of course, Abyssinian." A very faint trace of apology entered his eyes as he said to his lover, "Schuldich, I want you to stay here and keep an eye on Farfarello. I'd rather not have him wandering around a hospital filled with civilians." 

Under other circumstances, willful disagreement would have then entered catlike green eyes, but for once, Schuldich merely shrugged and said, "If that's how you want it, boss, I've got it covered." Beneath his words ran a silent request to listen in on the conversation that was granted easily enough yet would ultimately not come to pass due to other distractions that were about to emerge. 

"What about us?" Yohji asked with a frown. Gesturing towards Aya's injured leg and crutches, he wordlessly hoped someone would understand the concern for the swordsman's safety before glancing at Ken for support. 

"Yeah," Ken agreed with less strength in his voice than he'd rather have had, "I want to talk to the kid, too."

"I'm sorry, gentlemen," the volunteer said with another little bow, "but hospital policy only allows two visitors per patient at any given time in the recovery room. You'll have to wait to speak with him later."

To forestall the comment Yohji was clearly about to make, Crawford lifted one large hand in offering to watch over the injured redhead to some small extent and stated, "Enough. I believe that Abyssinian and I can handle matters ourselves at this point, Balinese, Siberian." Flashing a glance at Schuldich once more, he added, "Inform me if word comes on Bombay."

Shrugging insouciantly, the telepath commented airily, "Sure, sure." Seriousness returning to his eyes, Schuldich then made a shooing gesture with his hands and said, "Now get going, you're keeping Naggles waiting."

Crawford lifted an eyebrow as if in rebuke, yet sent a quiet expression of appreciation across their mental connection. Then the precognitive adjusted his shiny wire-rimmed glasses prior to following the petite volunteer to the recovery room with Aya hobbling along close enough that he could interfere if he should begin to fall. There was enough tension between the two teams already, he wasn't going to add to it by allowing the Weiss field leader to become injured more severely than he already was if he could prevent it. 

Once the young woman leading them was far enough away that their words would be at least somewhat private, Aya quietly returned Crawford's favor of deliberately using his teammates names, and said, "My name is Fujimiya Aya, Crawford. Balinese is Kudou Yohji, Siberian is Hidaka Ken, and Bombay is Tsukiyono Omi." A soft grunt of pain interrupted his words as one crutch failed to move easily, then he continued, "I believe things may be more easily managed if we avoid the use of codenames at this point."

Casting a measuring glance at the swordsman forcing himself to go forward despite his own personal pain and finding unexpected respect for him, Crawford nodded only once then replied in an equally quiet tone, "Agreed, Fujimiya. Not that it matters, but my own given name is Bradley and Naoe's is Nagi. The others have adopted permanent one-word pseudonyms, so it is rather easy to know how to address us."

Amethyst eyes returned the gaze from the corners of Aya's eyes and then with a curt nod, he fell silent and focused on not giving in to the slowly rebuilding sense of exhaustion that had dogged his every step for days by that point.

*****

To be continued.

Author's Notes:

[1] The details concerning Aya's injured ankle and knee are straight from my own experiences except that I was never bullheaded enough to refuse a wheelchair after treatment.

[2] The surprisingly low-key outcome of Aya's unwise use of stimulants is a tiny offering from Melpomene to the fans who were begging for him not to suffer too greatly for being a stubborn idiot about not staying home and resting. Yes, it could've been much worse, but it isn't and hopefully Yanagi-sen and a few other dear friends can now breathe a sigh of relief… Before worrying more about Omi, that is.

Please be advised: Parts 29 & 30 will be posted together.

Posted: 22 May 2003 ~4:15am EDT


	30. Crucial Discussions

****

Title: Neutral Territory [part 30/?]

Author: Enigma

Written: begun October, 2001 

Rating: R 

Pairings: (Omi + Nagi) (Yohji + Ken) (Brad + Schu) 

Category: Shonen ai/Yaoi Angst Friendship Romance Action Violence. AU-OOC. Giftfic.

Archive: fanfiction.net & mediaminer.org [author: "E-sama the Llama"] plus Wuffie.net [author: "Enigma"]

Warnings: shonen ai/yaoi, angst, masculine friendship in many forms, various levels of romance, action, coarse language, whiffs of citrus but nothing detailed, possibly graphic violence, bloodshed, tiny bits of humor, fluff, and sap; more warnings will be added as necessary. AU-OOC. Giftfic for Rubious.

Spoilers: Aya's sister's condition and a few other small things, nothing major.

Disclaimer: "Weiss Kreuz" is the property of Koyasu Takehito and Project Weiss. All original characters featured herein (including but not limited to: Glocksten, Charon, etc.) are © Enigma, 2003, and are not to be used without permission. This unauthorized work of fanfiction is intended for entertainment only; kindly do not sue me.

Notes: Omi's first trip to the public library results in an unexpected meeting when Nagi saves his life without being aware of the Weiss archer's identity. Can two lonely teens overcome the limits of their dark purpose in life to find friendship and possibly love in the midst of "neutral territory"? 

//thoughts// 

{{mental speech}}

*****

Sunday very early morning. The surgical recovery room in Komagome Hospital.

*****

Within a few minutes, the cheerful volunteer had escorted the two leaders of rival assassin squads to the desk at the front of the recovery room and said to the nurse on duty, "Here are the men the patient was asking for, ma'am."

Glancing up from the small bank of monitors that showed the views from the cameras focused on her patients, the nurse smiled and replied, "Thank you for getting them. I'll take it from here."

"You're welcome," the girl replied then went back to her usual happy chores of delivering flowers and baskets of congratulatory fruit that arrived on a daily basis for the patients whose lives weren't hanging in the balance the way that Omi's was at that very minute. 

Rising from behind her desk and straightening her impeccable white uniform, the nurse then said to both scrub-clad men, "Follow me, please. He's in the bed at the end on the right." Without waiting for a reply, she walked down the short corridor between curtain shrouded beds to the one she'd mentioned, then paused and inquired politely, "Naoe-kun? Your visitors are here. Do you wish to see them?" 

The sound of sheets rustling reached their ears and then a somewhat uncertain voice replied, "Yes, please." The way Nagi swallowed nervously was almost audible before he added, "And then can we be left alone to talk, please?"

Pulling the curtain aside and revealing a terribly wan teen whose too-slender body seemed practically lost in the generously sized hospital bed, the nurse answered, "Certainly. But before I go, let me check your IVs." She reached for the pale left hand that lay limply on the white starched sheet which had a thick needle jammed deeply into the vein on the back of it so as to deliver more of the lifesaving blood Nagi needed after his ordeal. After gently lifting it and adjusting the tape that held the needle safely in place so it would be less painful, she did the same to the one inserted into the elbow of the right arm that was delivering other needed fluids, earning her a tiny, grateful smile from Nagi. "There, I think that's better. If you need anything from me, just press the call button, all right?"

"Yes, ma'am," Nagi replied even as she walked away. Slow terror grew in his midnight-hued eyes as he then turned his attention on his visitors and found himself momentarily tongue-tied. No one had had an opportunity to warn him that the other assassins had been forced to change clothes, so the fact that Crawford and Aya were both standing there dressed as if they were doctors and not killers had taken him by surprise. But it wasn't half as shocking as Aya's crutches and badly swollen, bandaged leg were. 

The realization that Omi would be upset to know that someone else he valued dearly had also been injured in the tragic course of events mere hours prior, Nagi frowned unhappily before asking nervously, "Are you hurt badly, Aya-kun?" Seeing chilled violet eyes narrow, he shrunk back on himself a little, then corrected, "Um, I mean, Abyssinian?" 

Disdaining to answer the question, Aya replied instead with one of his own, "Why do you call me that, Naoe?"

"Because it's what Omi always called you when he talked about you, um, sir," Nagi replied in a small voice, then offered, "I'll call you whatever you want though."

Snorting softly and turning his head away, Aya replied with less vehemence than one might expect, "Call me Fujimiya or Aya or whatever you want, just not that." Hiding an expression of discomfort that flit across his features ever so briefly behind a scarlet earlock, he added, "I don't want to hear anyone call me that until after Omi does again. It's *his* way of saying my name, no one else's."

"All right," Nagi promised, then looked at Crawford who had stood by silently during the brief exchange and even though he desperately wanted to know how Omi was doing in surgery, he had other debts to pay first. In a voice smaller still than what he'd used to address Aya's angry question about his name, he offered, "I'm sorry, Crawford."

Powerful arms wrapped themselves across a broad and imposing chest as Crawford gauged whether now was the time for the most serious of discussions between himself and his youngest teammate. But the slightly hazy look in Nagi's eyes told him that until the boy was out from under the influence of the drugs he'd been given, there was no point in pursuing the matter of a shattered trust. With a sigh, he dropped his hands back to his sides and commented flatly, "I'm sure you are, but we'll speak of that another time." Casting a sidelong glance at the Weiss field leader whose own weariness was obvious, he added pointedly, "And we will speak of it in privacy, understand?"

Nodding and feeling the heat of previously alien teardrops pricking the backs of his eyes, Nagi dared to change the subject and asked, "How is Omi doing?" His voice cracked as he continued, "They won't tell me hardly anything and I am so afraid he might…" 

Turning his head back to face the bedridden youth, Aya insisted strongly, "He is *not* going to die!" Fiery determination filled his amethyst eyes as he added hotly, "Don't ever say that again where I can hear you!"

One of the tears he'd been fighting escaped Nagi's control and slipped free to leave a gleaming trail down a pale cheek as he nodded even more frightened than he had been before. 

Crawford briefly considered interceding on the telekinetic's behalf, yet decided against it. Nagi had chosen his own path and now needed to begin to navigate it alone, something Crawford truly was not pleased to realize. Like a father whose child has chosen to leave home prematurely, the ebony-haired man would find it far more difficult than he'd ever imagined it could be to see someone he had cared for since childhood turning away from his guidance and seeking his future alone. 

The flare of anger Aya had felt was washed away in part by the look of terror in Nagi's eyes and then, with a sigh, he shook his head and admitted more gently, "They haven't told us anything new about his progress recently either. As severely injured as he was, though, it will take quite awhile before they're done, so try not to dwell on it too much, Nagi." The addition of the Schwarz psychic's given name in place of his surname was one Aya made without thinking about it. The truth of the matter was that Nagi's pleading blue eyes reminded him so much of Omi's that affording him a similar level of care as he would his own friend came naturally under the circumstances.

Dropping his gaze and staring at the bright red blood moving through the plastic IV tube on its way into his body, Nagi sniffled slightly then said softly, "That's hard to do. I've never seen anyone survive after being hurt that badly."

"Well, I have, so let it go for now," Aya stated while suppressing agonizing memories he truly wished he could forget, then changed the topic of conversation completely by asking, "How long have you known Omi?"

Dragging slightly unfocused eyes back up to look at the men who towered above his reclining form, Nagi winced as Crawford remarked, "This is something I, too, wish to know, Nagi. Weiss apparently knew of your alternate identity, but I dare say Schwarz can't claim to have been given the same courtesy." He deliberately refused to mention the discussion shared in bed with his lover and the fact that they'd agreed to try to protect the telekinetic's new found love interest, there were too many other confessions to be had for now. 

Shifting on the bed as if trying to avoid their gazes and then settling farther into his pillow with a sigh, Nagi wished his mind wasn't as clouded by drugs as it was while he admitted, "I met Omi for the first time at the library, Crawford." Without realizing he hadn't mentioned what day it had happened, he further explained, "I was just there to read like usual, but a bunch of bookshelves broke and almost crushed him, and I kind of saved him without knowing who it was under all the wood and paper. I wasn't sure what you might do if you knew I'd met him, so I didn't say anything about it."

Before Crawford could point out that fraternizing with the enemy was a bad idea in and of itself, Aya interrupted to ask, "Do you mean the main branch of the public library, Nagi? Downtown?"

Feeling slightly less frightened than before thanks to thinking of the first warm words shared with Omi over a tray of sushi in some small restaurant in Asakasa, Nagi turned towards Aya and replied, "Yes, that's right."

"But he'd never been there before last Monday." Disbelief filled Aya's tone as he stated, "You can't possibly mean that you and he became close enough in less than a week to take the kind of risks you did outside that club. It sounds impossible." 

The idea that this could've been a reflection of some complicated telepathic trick of Schuldich's crossed Aya's mind for a split second and then was banished. The idea that the two young teens had somehow forged a bond that strong in so short an amount of time rang falsely to Aya who had never seen friendship or love blossom quite so quickly. 

Fujimiya Ran had only known true love's touch once for a brief period more than three years in the past, but he knew its effects all too well from living with, working beside, and killing in tandem with Yohji and Ken. Even though he didn't wish to have seen the way his two teammates had reacted as the irresistible force known as romance had wrested their individual barriers aside and forced them to admit that what they felt for each other was no longer mere friendship, he had. Worried glances during missions, tender exchanges when they thought no one was looking, and more had all left an abiding impression on the only member of Weiss yet to have found someone to share his joys as well as his sorrows with. 

With a sigh as he shook his head, Crawford commented, "It's no more impossible than the fact that you and I are standing here conversing the way that we are, Fujimiya." He slipped his glasses off and rubbed tired eyes before remarking with another sigh, "I won't tell you about Nagi's past or his life until now, those are his secrets to tell, not mine, but take my word for it. Finding someone he could trust as he apparently did your teammate would have made a world of difference for him and the length of time of their acquaintance would be of little consequence." 

"Crawford?" Nagi asked with concern after noting the classic signs of either a vision or other sudden pressing matter which weighed heavily on the precognitive's shoulders. 

Pushing his glasses back onto his face and trying to offer only strength, Crawford explained, "I must go soon before this situation becomes impossibly complicated." The vague reference to a brief warning flash regarding the incipient arrival of a flame-haired Kritiker agent who wouldn't let Schwarz leave unimpeded was left to hang vaguely in the air for a moment. Then he asked, "I need to know what you intend to do now, Nagi."

Both Nagi and Aya turned towards the American and it was the Weiss swordsman who said with a scowl, "What do you mean, Crawford? He just had surgery, so what kind of action is there to take other than to heal?"

The sedatives in his veins continued to slow Nagi's usually quick mind, but it only took him a moment to realize this was a much greater question than what Aya thought it was and he shook his head sadly and apologized, "I'm sorry, Crawford, but I can't go with you. Not now, not without knowing if Omi's going to be okay or not."

Nodding slowly despite the fact that this was only the first of several steps away from Schwarz that Nagi would most likely be taking, Crawford replied, "If that's your decision and you're willing to take the risks involved, all right, Nagi, but what about the future?"

Eyebrows drawing together in sorrow, Nagi shook his head again and answered, "I can't fight against Omi in the future." Flicking a quick glance at Aya, he amended, "I can't fight against Weiss at all anymore. They're Omi's friends, I won't hurt them ever again."

Deep concern etched itself into Crawford's forehead as he asked, "Do you realize that as a member of Schwarz you don't have the right to pick and choose who you must contend with? Even I don't have that freedom, Prodigy."

Sorrow was replaced with destitution as Nagi processed this information and then said quietly, "Then maybe it was a waste of time to have them fix my arm. Schu always said the only way out of Schwarz--or Estet for that matter--was in a box, so go ahead and shoot me now and get it over with because I'm not going back to being 'Prodigy'."

"Wait one damned minute here!" Aya finally interjected since he was afraid Crawford might do just that. Unwisely moving a hand off one crutch's grip to gesture towards the pale youth with the needles in both arms and a huge bandage covering numerous sutures where he'd been shot while protecting Omi, he added, "You can't *possibly* be considering killing him for that now, Crawford! He's drugged and out of his mind with worry! Let the kid recover and think this over, at least!" The vehemence of his exclamation gained added power when the crutch slipped and he might easily have fallen except that Crawford intervened and without any show of effort, caught Aya by the shoulder even as he snatched the falling crutch from mid-air with his other hand. 

Returning the item without explanation, Crawford shook his head and said, "Of course I wouldn't dream of doing so, Fujimiya. However, such decisions will need to be made in the future. For now, though, I fear my time is almost gone." He sent a mental summons to Schuldich to bring Farfarello if they wished to say farewell to Nagi and missed the astonished look on Nagi's face that melted away almost as fast as it had formed. 

The brief sense of confusion caused by the strange interactions between Crawford and Aya that Nagi had felt was rapidly replaced by one of sudden worry as he retroactively realized that he wasn't completely sure how Omi felt about him in the first place. An expression of sorrow entered his expressive eyes again and he said quietly, "Thanks, Crawford…" there was a long pause and then he concluded uncertainly, "I guess."

Gazing down at the small figure in the bed and experiencing an uncomfortable flashback to the first time Nagi had required extensive medical treatment following an Estet training mission that ended badly, Crawford lifted an eyebrow and asked, "What is it, Nagi?"

Shaking his head slightly, Nagi admitted, "I just realized that Omi might not feel the same way about me that I do about him. He said I was his best friend, what if that was all that he wanted?" The fact that he himself wanted so much more than mere friendship was clear to both of the older men and no further clarification was needed by either of them. 

A slight hope that the life that he and Schuldich had worked so hard to build for the four misfits that had come together to form Schwarz might not be lost after all entered Crawford's heart. Yet he charitably kept that from his voice as he stated, "I have no idea one way or the other. However, for now, I'll inform Estet that you are on inactive status due to your injury suffered in the line of duty and will wait for you to get the chance to talk to your friend. If he doesn't share your feelings, you might want to be able to return." 

A sternness that hadn't been there previously then entered Crawford's eyes and voice as he added, "But once you leave for good you have to realize that you will be unwelcome with us in the future. Keep this in mind before you toss aside the opportunity to return home."

With a sad nod of his head, Nagi acknowledged his team leader's words and then flicked his gaze towards Aya wondering if the redhead had any idea how his youngest teammate felt about him in return. The weary swordsman, unfortunately, was fighting off a wave of exhaustion and trying his best not to yawn openly and missed the entreating look that Nagi had sent him.

Before anything more could be said by those already present, a small commotion from the front of the room drew their attention. 

"I'm sorry, sirs, but you can't…" 

The woman in charge of the recovery room tried to stop the newest arrivals, but with a flippant wave of a hand and the rather forceful application of his paranormal abilities, Schuldich put an end to her attempts to enforce the hospital's rules. With a pained scowl since he'd overextended himself in the course of the long night, the German psychic responded firmly, "Yes, we *can* and *you* can go work on paperwork or something until we leave."

Her eyes now wide and slightly blank, the nurse nodded and replied woodenly, "Yes, sir. Of course, sir."

In a much more relaxed frame of mind than he'd been in when they'd arrived, partially thanks to the prior few minutes spent watching Ken and Yohji throwing them uncomfortable glances, Farfarello ignored the woman entirely and simply remained next to Schuldich obediently.

Rubbing at his aching forehead in an attempt to banish the pain and weariness he felt, Schuldich approached his lover demanding, "What the hell do you *mean* we're leaving, Crawford?!" Casting his first glance at Nagi since they had turned the then nearly unconscious telekinetic over to the emergency room staff, he added, "Nagi's not ready to go already, is he?" 

Shaking his head, Crawford responded in a tone that was intended to brook no disagreement, "He wont be coming with us, Schuldich."

Hands on his hips, the redhead responded angrily, "Then what are we leaving for?" Disregarding the way Farfarello was peering with fascination at the blood dripping from the IV bag into the tubing that carried it into a terribly pale hand, Schuldich added silently for Crawford alone, {{I'm not going anywhere until I get a chance to talk to him. I want to know what the hell's going on since I couldn't listen in earlier.}} 

The reason Schuldich had been denied the opportunity to telepathically eavesdrop had been the arrival of a sick child in the emergency room whose older brother had been left in the waiting room to amuse himself with a dog fight between his Strike and Aegis Gundam models. Farfarello had found the action almost too appealing to resist and it had been all Schuldich could do to keep the white-haired man seated instead of going over and offering to make the battle more exciting in his own inimitable style.

Offering a telepathic promise to explain fully when the three of them were elsewhere, Crawford replied aloud, "We must leave now or things will become exceptionally difficult. If you wish to say goodbye, do so now, Schuldich, Farfarello."

Hearing his name, the amber-eyed man tore his eye away from the lovely red seeping from plastic to plastic and then smiled slightly while saying, "Get better and come home soon, Nagi. We can watch 'Iron Chef' together, okay?" Unlike the others, Farfarello hadn't given the sudden new relationship between the two teens a moment's thought and because of this he hadn't considered that this might be an invitation that could never be accepted. 

An unexpected tightening in his chest made Nagi aware that he'd not considered how much it might hurt to be considering leaving his Irish friend behind the way he might if he chose to remain with Omi, and that pain kept him from saying anything at all in reply.

The knowledge that Crawford wouldn't insist on denying him a chance to speak with Nagi at length without a very good reason for doing so didn't give Schuldich much comfort. Yet he wisely set aside his own usual stubbornness and said with as much levity as he could muster under the circumstances, "I don't like leaving you here on your own, chibi, but if pushy-bastard-leader-man over here says we gotta go, we gotta go." Eyes reminiscent of glittering fragments of emerald lingered sadly over the thick bandages surrounding Nagi's left arm and he desperately wished there was time for explanations even though he knew there wasn't.

Nagi was surprised to see expressions of concern on the faces of the eldest members of Schwarz's faces since he hadn't yet accepted the fact that perhaps Schuldich and Crawford both cared for him in a fashion they'd never openly demonstrated previously. Yet when deep mahogany eyes framed by silver rims caught his eyes and wordlessly commanded him to think long and hard before making an irrevocable decision, not even the sedatives in his bloodstream could hold the truth back any longer. 

The realization that he hadn't been as alone as he thought he had been for quite a long time flooded Nagi's awareness and the tightness in his chest increased. He wanted to ask why he'd never known they'd cared until now or even why he was being given a choice at all, but no words could get past his lips and he merely lay there looking helpless.

Forgotten for the moment, Aya remained standing nearby, leaning heavily upon his crutches and finding himself continuing to be utterly baffled by the way the four psychics he'd known only as enemies and villains in their own right, interacted with one another.

The Weiss field leader had never paused to consider what Schwarz might be like as men instead of as assassins, but now that he saw them all together in this way, he began to question many of his most basic assumptions about them. 

Only someone whose heart truly was made of stone as Aya still thought his teammates believed his own to be would have failed to see the signs of friendship and compassion on display before him. Earlier, he'd written off Crawford's act of mercy towards Omi as well as his vicious vengeance on the battlefield towards Charon to both be flukes. Yet here the broad-shouldered American was once more showing a different side of himself that Aya found disturbingly familiar. 

Unaware that Aya was contemplating how similar they were to one another, Crawford decided that the time for parting was at hand. Pulling his eyes away from Nagi's, he said simply, "Let's go." Not wishing to allow for any further discussion, he turned away from his teammates, offered Aya a terse nod of farewell and then headed towards the door. 

With a sigh, Schuldich commented, "C'mon, Farfster. Time to jet." After tugging lightly on his Irish friend's scrub-clad arm to remind him to move, he followed his lover's retreating form.

Dutifully trailing behind Schuldich, Farfarello waved once and said, "Bye, Nagi."

Finally able to speak again, Nagi responded with a slight hitch in his voice, "Bye, Farf." He wondered if he'd just bidden his teammates farewell for the last time or not, then noticed that the scarlet-haired swordsman remained nearby. Noting the weary slump in usually straight shoulders, he asked tentatively, "Um, are you all right, Fujimiya, sir?" 

Snapping to awareness upon hearing his name, Aya replied falsely, "I'm fine and stop calling me 'Fujimiya'." Glancing away with slight guilt, he added, "Just call me 'Aya' like everybody else does, okay?"

"Um, okay," Nagi replied uncertainly, then decided to get an answer to a question he'd raised earlier that had been lost in the moment. After clearing his throat nervously, he asked, "Is your leg badly injured, Aya? What happened to it?"

Amethyst eyes narrowed slightly, yet Aya found it increasingly difficult to call forth the animosity he'd once felt towards the telekinetic. With less acid than he would rather have had in his voice, he responded with a question of his own, "Why are you asking?" 

Mournful midnight blue eyes peered back at him as Nagi explained, "Omi would be worried about it if he was here, so I thought…?" Words failed him as he tried to sort through his own hazy mind and he just left the incomplete sentence hanging in the air questioningly.

"You just thought you'd worry about it for him, then, is that it?" Aya commented with a sigh. As he'd observed earlier, the two teens had a great deal in common. The fact that before meeting Omi, Nagi would never have allowed himself to openly express this level of concern for a relative stranger was irrelevant. All that mattered to Aya now was that fate had placed yet another young life into his hands to some extent and he knew that he'd try to protect Nagi as best he could until Omi could return to the sable-haired youth's side. 

"I guess so," Nagi said, then looked away as he added, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked."

The unexpected desire to disagree with Nagi rose in Aya, but before he could say anything, the nurse who was no longer under Schuldich's control approached and said, "Excuse me, but I just got a call from the waiting area. The police and some redheaded woman are here and they have a lot of questions for you both."

Back straightening automatically as he forced his weariness aside and became Abyssinian once more, Aya stated flatly, "I'll go and talk with them, but they need to leave Naoe here alone for awhile. He hasn't exactly gotten any rest yet." He turned on his crutches and began to hobble towards the nurse never once affording himself a glance back at the too-slender boy in the bed.

Afraid of whatever he was about to face regarding questioning or worse, Nagi almost remained silent, but the sight of Aya's retreating form changed all that. Unwisely lifting his right arm in a gesture of entreaty, he called out, "Aya? Ouch." The exclamation of pain was unintentional, but the needle carrying vital fluids into his bloodstream shifted uncomfortably and vocalizing the discomfort was unavoidable. 

Turning partially so he could gaze behind himself, Aya took note of the problem and scowled slightly before cautioning, "Be more careful, Nagi. Omi isn't the only one who is suffering because of what happened last night."

Carefully laying his arm down even as the nurse approached him quietly clucking her tongue in motherly consternation, Nagi replied, "I'm sorry, Aya, I'll be more careful. But I wanted to say 'thank you' before you left."

"Stop saying you're sorry for everything," Aya advised with a small frown. Then he asked, "Why are you thanking me? I didn't do anything for you."

"Yes, you did," Nagi disagreed earnestly. He ignored the nurse who was applying additional adhesive strips to keep the needle in his elbow anchored as he explained, "You were the one who let Crawford bring Omi here with me. One of the doctors said he would've bled to death if not for, well, you know." The evasive words were due to the presence of the woman nearby but Aya understood their meaning perfectly.

Nodding and allowing the negative expression to slip from his face, Aya said, "I had assumed as much, but it's good to know. Thank you for thinking quickly enough to do that."

With a sigh as the tiredness of blood loss combined with the medication in his system re-exerted their control, Nagi shook his head and replied, "I wish I'd thought faster. Maybe none of this would've happened." 

The reproach Aya almost gave the boy died on his lips when his conscience told him that no, it was Abyssinian himself who should've done quite a few crucial things sooner than he had. With a sigh of his own, he just shook his head again. As a scarlet earlock slipped back and revealed the long golden earring hanging from one ear, Aya commanded gently, "Just rest now, Nagi. I won't let the police or Manx bother you for awhile and as soon as we know anything about Omi's condition, someone will be in to tell you."

"Oh, okay, Aya," Nagi promised in a somewhat confused tone and then watched as the usually graceful swordsman made his ungainly way out of sight as he went to rejoin Yohji and Ken as they began to try to cope with both Manx and the police. 

"There, you're all set," the nurse said as she patted Nagi's arm and then adjusted his covers for him. She wondered why he startled the way he did when she'd spoken, but didn't inquire choosing instead to waggle a warning finger at him and say, "Now, though, you'd better take your friend's advice and get some sleep. You've been fighting that sedative this whole time, so relax and rest now."

Blinking owlishly, Nagi momentarily had no clue who she was referring to, but as soon as he realized the truth, a faint expression of surprise washed over him. Nodding an agreement to do just that even as a yawn presented itself, he retroactively came into awareness that now Omi's friends might become his friends, too, and that was something totally unexpected. 

As peace descended on the recovery room once more and Nagi began to drift towards slumber, a random recollection of when Omi told him that Weiss was like a family came into his mind. It hadn't occurred to him that by becoming involved with one of them meant interacting with all of them eventually since the concept of neutral territory ought to have precluded it. Yet here he lay, under the protection of the Weiss field leader, unwittingly being worried over by two other members of that same team even as he himself shared their worries for the boy whose life still hung in the balance. 

Fading into the world of dreams with that thought in mind, Nagi narrowly avoided the almost guaranteed nightmares that would've been his if he'd taken this line of thought one step further. If he had, and came to the realization that if Omi died, Schwarz would be held accountable at least to some extent, then he would assuredly have been trapped in dreams filled with blood and sorrow. 

Despite the atypically gentle side of Aya that he'd just been witness to, Nagi instinctively knew that he was also a man driven by a need for vengeance as almost all assassins were. If the possibly mortally wounded archer failed to survive, then he would surely witness another meeting between the two leaders who had just conversed so civilly in his presence and it was a foregone conclusion that at least one of them would not leave the reunion alive.

*****

To be continued.

[Posting Run Dedication] Despite the somewhat belated nature of it, this evening's posting run is dedicated as a gift to my exceptionally good friend Yanagi-sen who celebrated her birthday on May 11th while on assignment for the JET program in Hirado, Japan. She's one of the finest writers of yaoi anime fanfiction it's ever been my distinct pleasure to read and she is also one of the nicest people on the entire planet, in my humble opinion! The adventures she's shared with all of us through her LiveJournal about her time far across the sea have been nothing short of inspiring and occasionally have brought a whole new perspective about things to mind. I couldn't ask for a better reviewer for my stories or a better person in my corner when things get tough as they have lately, so I only hope that she enjoys this small offering as well as my belated birthday gift to her. 

Please be advised: Parts 29 & 30 will be posted together.

Posted: 22 May 2003 ~4:15am EDT


	31. Coming to Terms

Welcome to a special limited performance of the Angst Theatre's debut production of "Neutral Territory". 

There is only one chapter being offered tonight because that's as far as I have gotten on the rough draft due to the insanity of the end of school for my girls, but I felt like sharing it on its own as a gift from me to everyone reading this. Why a gift? Because June 9th was my 44th birthday and even though people usually receive gifts on their birthday instead of giving them, I felt like doing something special. 

Tonight's new addition to our saga brings some subtle though profound changes for the eldest members of Weiss as well as some shocking revelations for several people. I hope everyone will enjoy it. 

Special thanks go to all of you who have sent words of encouragement or posted comments here at ff.net supporting this lengthy undertaking of mine. Despite the difficult and occasionally draining challenges that 2003 has thrown at me unexpectedly, this story and all of my online friends have remained a source of comfort and joy for me.

Enjoy the New Developments!

~~~Enigma~~~

(who has been very frustrated by the malfunctions here at ff.net that made posting this in a timely fashion--it was ready a week ago--impossible yet hopes that some kind readers will enjoy it now that it is finally available)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

****

Title: Neutral Territory [part 31/?]

Author: Enigma

Written: begun October, 2001 

Rating: R 

Pairings: (Omi + Nagi) (Yohji + Ken) (Brad + Schu) 

Category: Shonen ai/Yaoi Angst Friendship Romance Action Violence. AU-OOC. Giftfic.

Archive: fanfiction.net & mediaminer.org [author: "E-sama the Llama"] plus Wuffie.net [author: "Enigma"]

Warnings: shonen ai/yaoi, angst, masculine friendship in many forms, various levels of romance, action, coarse language, whiffs of citrus but nothing detailed, possibly graphic violence, bloodshed, tiny bits of humor, fluff, and sap; more warnings will be added as necessary. AU-OOC. Giftfic for Rubious.

Spoilers: Aya's sister's condition and a few other small things, nothing major.

Disclaimer: "Weiss Kreuz" is the property of Koyasu Takehito and Project Weiss. All original characters featured herein (including but not limited to: Glocksten, Charon, etc.) are © Enigma, 2003, and are not to be used without permission. This unauthorized work of fanfiction is intended for entertainment only; kindly do not sue me.

Notes: Omi's first trip to the public library results in an unexpected meeting when Nagi saves his life without being aware of the Weiss archer's identity. Can two lonely teens overcome the limits of their dark purpose in life to find friendship and possibly love in the midst of "neutral territory"? 

//thoughts// 

{{mental speech}}

*****

Sunday very early morning. Various locations in Komagome Hospital.

*****

Once he was out of Nagi's line of sight as well as that of the recovery room nurse who had been giving him the distinct impression that she was about to lodge a formal complaint regarding his lack of a wheelchair, Aya paused before tiredly slumping against a wall. 

As he let the crutches support his upper body's weight fully, the Weiss field leader felt weariness roll over him like a sluggish wave across a mournful, forgotten beach at low tide. His energy levels had ebbed as the final vestiges of the stimulant he'd ingested earlier faded completely and Aya knew that he could not go on the way that he had been for much longer. 

While the realization that he had to somehow find the inner strength to cope with Persia's occasionally difficult top executive assistant percolated through his exhaustion and pain muddled mind, Aya failed to note the soft padding of determined footfalls headed his way.

En route to retrieving his scarlet-haired teammate, Yohji had allowed himself a few minutes to strategize how best to convince the headstrong swordsman to let himself and Ken take the lion's share of the burden of coping with Manx. Now, though, as he approached Aya and duly noted his nearly defeated looking stance and overall sense of near collapse, all his carefully selected words flew out of his mind and were replaced with more honest and direct ones.

Shaking his head as he came within a few feet of Aya yet remained undetected by the usually hyperaware assassin, Yohji sighed loudly and commented, "Damn it, Aya, you're a wreck."

Lifting his head slowly and hoping his purplish eyes were flashing an anger that they were not, Aya replied sarcastically, "Thanks for the compliment, jerk."

Disregarding the insult which contained no vehemence whatsoever, Yohji came to a halt in front of Aya and even though he wanted to think of an excuse to physically reach out to his friend, he did not. Instead, he said, "Ken's working on getting an office somewhere for us to talk to Manx in so it's not so public when all hell breaks loose, but right now, all I give a shit about is you." When a puzzled expression crossed Aya's face, he added plaintively, "You have *got* to get off your feet, Aya. I'm serious! Any minute now, the staff around here is going to tie you to a bed somewhere or other instead of letting you collapse, and damned if I'm not going to be the first one to offer to help!" 

"You wouldn't dare!" Aya attempted to flare, yet the yawn he barely fought back after his assertion stole any thunder it might have had otherwise. 

With a soul-deep sigh and a shake of his head that sent dark blond hair dancing lifelessly around his face, Yohji acknowledged without regret or apology, "You'd better believe that I would." Gesturing at the way Aya's hands clung to the crutches' handgrips so tightly that his knuckles were turning white, he continued, "Between sleep deprivation, injury, post-battle fatigue, and whatever the hell damage those stims you took have caused, you've gone right up to the edge and then blithely waltzed passed it by quite a bit! It's a damned miracle you're still standing, but sooner or later, that's going to change."

With a non-energetic toss of his head, Aya ground out between clenched teeth, "It will be *later*, Kudou. I've got a job to do first." After reaching deep within to tap his failing reserves of pride-derived strength, he pushed himself away from the wall and resumed the slow and increasingly painful trek down the corridor. Every beat of his heart sent pulse after throbbing pulse of pain radiating from his right leg then outwards through his entire being. It was sheer hell, yet he doggedly kept moving. 

Automatically falling into step beside his teammate and more than ready to intervene if Aya should stumble or have further difficulty with his crutches, Yohji corrected, "No, *we've* got a job to do, but that doesn't change things. You need to cut yourself some slack and you need to do it soon or you'll be useless to all of us." 

"The 'job' I was talking about," Aya explained with a sigh even as he remained focused on hobbling towards the waiting room, "is to keep Manx and the police away from Nagi. He's worse off than I am at the moment."

"Oh?" Interested green eyes glanced sideways at Aya before Yohji added, "Since when do you feel the need to defend a member of Schwarz?" 

"Since he took a huge risk to save a member of Weiss," Aya replied as if it was too obvious, then added almost uncertainly, "why else?" 

Continuing to gaze at Aya yet doing it more openly, Yohji inquired cautiously, "Did you already get a chance to actually figure out what kind of a kid Omi picked for a boyfriend, Aya?"

"No, not really," Aya admitted with a yawn that he could no longer suppress. "But I do know that he's taken some surprisingly dangerous steps because of how he feels for Omi and I respect that."

The measuring expression in Yohji's eyes vanished as one of astonishment replaced it in response to the totally unexpected words issuing from the lips of a man he'd wrongly assumed knew nothing of love or the value of romantic interactions. A thousand questions came to mind almost immediately, not a few of which pertained to matters that might involve them both more intimately, but they were left unspoken as they rounded a corner and encountered another one of their teammates.

Scowling darkly and waving a hand at an open door that lead to a conference room adjacent to the surgical waiting area, Ken called out, "We're meeting in here, guys." 

"Be right there, Ken," Yohji assured while carefully adding a meaningful glance at Aya in a wordless request for seating inside the room for the injured swordsman. Of course, he would've preferred an arrangement that would allow the horribly swollen sprained ankle to be propped up and possibly even treated with an ice pack to aid in healing, but he knew better than to hope for quite so much. 

Nodding in response to both that which was said and that which was not, the former athlete answered, "I'll let Manx know you're here." He then slipped into the room and made sure there was a chair ready for Aya even though he anticipated a bit of a fight about its use.

Only a few moments later, Yohji and Aya entered a tense room where Manx was tossing commands left and right, thereby sending police officers as well as Kritiker agents skittering off on information gathering forays. Ken's hopeful though miniscule smile as he held the chair for Aya fell immediately as the Weiss field leader instinctively sought a wall to lean against as was his custom during meetings with Manx. 

Stalking up to Aya and deliberately invading his personal space, Yohji leaned in quite close and hissed softly in his ear, "what the hell do you think you're doing, fujimiya? get your exhausted ass into that chair ken's got for you right now, or so help me god, i will pick you up and put you into it myself!"

The desire to repeat his earlier assertion that Yohji wouldn't dare to commit such an act rose in Aya's mind automatically, yet when he turned to glare at him and say so, the expression of worried commitment that he saw in verdant eyes stopped him. As his shoulders slumped in defeat, Aya whispered back, "you'd really do that, wouldn't you, yohji?"

"in a heartbeat!"

Tiredly resisting the sudden and irrational desire to laugh since everything else was failing him, Aya merely nodded and then acquiesced, "i surrender."

"it's about damned time," Yohji replied with relief then surreptitiously moved to assist Aya away from the wall and into the chair that Ken continued to hold in silent offer. He was more than glad to take the unreliable crutches and carefully place them outside of Aya's reach on the off chance the swordsman might do something unwise like try to exit the room prematurely for some unpredictable reason. 

As Aya settled exhaustedly into the upholstered seat with an agonized sigh, Ken favored him with a grateful expression and then turned towards a Kritiker agent standing nearby awaiting instructions and commanded without bothering to get authority to do so, "Go get Abyssinian, Balinese, and me some good, strong tea."

Somewhat confused by the unheard of change in Weiss' chain of command, the thirty-something year old man glanced at Aya who narrowed his violet eyes angrily as he stated, "You heard Siberian."

"But I thought you--" The baffled man tried to inquire, but was cut off by an angry blond.

Moving with his legendary quickness, Yohji was in the hapless man's face glaring for all he was worth as he asked in a dangerous tone, "Are you questioning Abyssinian's right to delegate authority, agent?"

"Um, no, of course not," the man replied nervously due to the extreme proximity of the deadly wire-wielder. After a hasty step backwards to create some space between them, he bowed quickly and then hurried off never once wondering if Manx might've had other plans for him.

With a small, satisfied snort, Ken watched the agent scurry off on his assignment and then he looked from Yohji to Aya and back again asking with concerned eyes the color of rich, volcanic soil if things were really as bleak as they appeared to be. 

Narrow blond eyebrows drew together in a display of uncertainty for only a moment, then they sank back into an expression of defeat as Yohji shook his head slowly to indicate that his lover was not mistaken in his assessment. 

"oh, fuck," Ken muttered to himself and wished he was wearing his usual jeans so he'd have a place to jam currently impotent hands that itched for an opportunity to do something more of use for his teammates than merely arranging seating and a place to meet. 

As he imitated Aya and sank into a chair of his own beside the scarlet-haired man, Ken randomly recalled the unexpected and very welcome taste of freshly baked brownies that he'd enjoyed roughly 24 hours previously after getting home from dancing with Yohji. With all of the pre-battle tension they'd experienced the day before, he'd not had a chance to thank Aya for the kindness yet and did so now. 

Leaning towards his friend, Ken said quietly, "By the way, Aya, thanks for the brownies. They were really good."

Busy scrubbing at reddening eyes he was once more having difficulty holding open, Aya initially missed the significance of the comment, but when it sank in, a tiny smile he was unaware of crossed his lips for a split second and then vanished before he replied, "It was nothing."

While his two teammates conversed briefly, Yohji took the opportunity to avail himself of the chair on Aya's opposite side so that the two lovers once more flanked their injured comrade like the protective guardians that they were at the moment. Because of this, he was in the unique position to have seen the small flash of satisfaction on Aya's lips and it engendered the first feelings of hope he'd had in awhile. 

It had not occurred to Yohji that perhaps the dark cloud that was the exhaustion and pain which Aya was suffering beneath could have a silver lining unlike any other. But at that moment, he realized that these fleeting glimpses of who Aya truly was deep inside were far more spectacular than silver. They were more like platinum in his mind and this thought caused a smile to grace his own lips unwittingly.

"Is something amusing, Balinese?" Manx's sharp-tongued inquiry jolted Yohji out of his reverie. Her blue-green eyes narrowed harshly as she added, "I fail to find anything at all to smile about under the circumstances." 

The redheaded woman stood on the opposite side of the table with her arms crossed over her chest in a clear display of anger that was not unexpected, yet Yohji couldn't help just shaking his head and commenting, "No, not at all, Manx." While running his fingers through loose blond silk that he would've preferred to have tied back at that point, he considered adding something hopeful about Aya's physical condition, but never got the chance.

"Then stop sitting there smiling like an *idiot*!" Manx exclaimed angrily in an effort to curb her own sense of desperation and worry over the mess that the mission to eliminate Glocksten and Charon had turned into.

Unexpected fire leapt into drooping violet eyes as Aya's voice interjected icily, "Do not make the mistake of calling one of *my* men an idiot, Manx." Both Ken and Yohji regarded the man between them with startled expressions, yet they didn't say a word as he added equally coldly, "Considering what we three have been through together in the last couple of hours, the only ones who can judge any of us is each other."

As surprised by the swordsman's words as the two scrub-clad men sitting beside him were, Manx paused for only a moment, then forced herself to take a deep breath and try to calm down before she made a bad situation worse than it absolutely had to be. 

Deliberately uncurling her arms and then keeping her hands at her sides, Manx said, "You're right, Abyssinian, I'm sorry for saying that. But considering the fact that everything has gone so terribly wrong, I'm just having a hard time keeping things in perspective."

"Not everything has gone wrong," Ken said with a sigh. "At least those two bastards Kritiker wanted out of the picture are dead now. That's got to count for something."

"That's right," Yohji agreed. With a self-deprecating frown, he then leaned back in his chair and added, "Not that I was any help at all in offing that damned cop-killer, though."

Realizing they were about to get down to business, Manx dismissed the remaining police and Kritiker personnel and then closed the door to the office intending to keep what they were about to discuss private for awhile at least. While activating a digital recorder she'd brought so that Persia could listen to their discussion at his leisure later, she commented, "I'd assumed as much when I met up with the coroner's team at the nightclub, Balinese. Your wire doesn't result in partial decapitations of the type I saw, so who was responsible for putting down that damned dog of a man?"

Wishing this could be avoided yet knowing that it could not, Yohji admitted, "Believe it or not, it was that precognitive pain in the ass, Crawford from Schwarz who got to do the honors, Manx."

Utter shock spread across the redheaded woman's face as this sank in, then Manx asked, "I'd already been alerted that they were involved in some manner which explains the presence of one of their members here, but why on earth would he do that? And why were they even there in the first place?"

Shrugging since they'd truly not gotten around to discussing it prior to Schwarz's precipitous departure, Ken remarked, "Apparently they had the bodyguard detail for those two scumbags and that's why they were there. As to the reason he shot Charon, I'm not sure. Yohji? You got any ideas?" 

Pursing his lips thoughtfully, Yohji took a moment then commented contemplatively, "I'm not sure either, but I think it had a lot to do with what happened to Omi and that Schwarz kid who got shot, too."

"His name is Naoe Nagi," Aya interjected tiredly. He wiped at his eyes with both hands before adding for Persia's information as much as for anyone else's, "He and Omi have developed some kind of relationship between them that has nothing to do with Schwarz or Weiss, but it blew up in their faces tonight. That's how they both ended up in here with bullet holes in them."

"Say *what*?!" Manx exploded in understandable fury. Slamming a fist onto the table and startling them all with her unladylike rage, she demanded, "Who the hell let Omi fraternize with the enemy that way?! Why didn't someone put a stop to that before it became a problem?!" 

Regret and guilt which had been simmering under the surface suddenly boiled up as Ken said sorrowfully, "It's my fault, Manx. I knew he was seeing someone awhile back. I should've done some digging to find out who it was and prevented this."

"That's bullshit, Ken!" Yohji stated emphatically. Gesticulating for emphasis, he corrected, "Omi is seventeen years old and he does *not* need any of us butting in on his private life like that!"

Seeming to forget that they weren't alone, Ken leaned forward on the table and sighed, "But I was the one who told him to relax and go have fun with his new 'friend', Yohji. I should've made sure he didn't make a horrible mistake like I did at his age and now it's too late."

"That's bullshit, too," Yohji replied more gently. Ignoring the way Manx was fuming with a barely constrained desire for more information, he continued, "We can't be there all the time to protect him and besides, Omi's been a trained, seasoned assassin longer than either of us put together have. I'm sure our tactician did a risk-benefit analysis of this whole thing before he let it get out of control."

"Don't count on it," Aya's dead-tired voice interjected earning him a pair of surprised glances from his teammates yet again. Leaning heavily against the back of the chair that he doubted he could get out of easily, he let his eyes slip shut as he suggested pointedly, "But instead of speculating about Omi and Nagi's relationship, can we get on with the actual debriefing? I want this over with before we get an update from the OR."

Pointing at the three men opposite her with a long red-tinted nail, Manx snarled, "Wait a damned minute, Abyssinian! I'm in charge of this meeting and unless you want me to immediately place this Naoe kid under house arrest or something until I get the answers I need, I'd suggest you not stonewall me!" 

Even as twin amethyst orbs drew themselves open tiredly readying for another verbal battle, Yohji saved Aya the trouble and tried to assist Ken in regaining his confidence regarding his appropriate and timely advice to their youngest teammate. 

Offering a conciliatory gesture with one hand, Yohji assured, "Take it easy, Manx. We talked to the surgeon who worked on Naoe just a bit ago and the kid's in no shape to go anywhere or be a danger to anyone. An artery-nicking bullet through the arm leaves a guy too wiped out to go anywhere as I well know, so take Aya's advice and let that issue slide for now, all right?" He could practically feel the less chilly than normal violet gaze that fell on him as he pleaded in his most charming tones, "Please?"

Even though she would've preferred to get all of her answers at once, Manx wisely decided to grant Yohji's request and with a huff of annoyance, she picked up some papers and glanced at them before stating, "At least Abyssinian was able to take down his own target properly. Or was I misinterpreting the remains of Glocksten's corpse?"

"No mistake there, Manx," Ken said with a slight smile for Aya's benefit. With a dismissive snort, he added, "Did anyone find that creep's head? It had bounced away like an under-inflated soccer ball last thing I knew." 

Rolling her greenish-blue eyes expressively, Manx replied, "Yes, we found it. Tokyo's finest aren't *that* inept." The hint of vindictiveness in her tone wasn't missed by any of those present as she explained, "Granted, it was face down in a muddy ditch behind the valet station and that improved the bastard's appearance somewhat, but that is neither here nor there. What matters to me is how his executioner ended up injured the way that he did. What happened to you, Abyssinian?" 

Aya had been expecting this question, yet he didn't really like the idea of facing it. Heaving a soul-deep sigh, he started to open his mouth to reply, yet found someone else coming to his defense before even a word could be spoken.

"It was rainy and visibility sucked," Ken said as casually as he could. Shrugging and acting like this was far less crucial than it was, he further explained, "Aya couldn't nail the landing quite as well as usual and he slipped, that's all."

"Exactly," Yohji asserted confidently. "It could happen to anyone."

Wariness was overpowered by weariness, yet Aya looked from Yohji who surreptitiously winked at him asking him to go along with the diversion over to Ken whose nervousness following the deliberate underplaying of his sleep deprivation was all too obvious. Even if he'd wanted to disagree with their statements, now he wouldn't. If Yohji was willing to risk making himself a target for Manx's anger, he'd show his appreciation by keeping silent.

"Nonsense," Manx stated flatly. Leaning forward to gaze more closely at the Weiss field leader, she added, "The only explanation for that which I can think of involves something I was to have been alerted regarding. And since I was *not* told that Abyssinian was suffering from insomnia again, that can't possibly be the explanation, now can it?"

"Um, well…" Ken wanted to lie and deny it to help protect Aya, yet his brief hesitation allowed an unexpected turn of events to take place instead. 

Reaching out lightly to touch Ken's shoulder to draw his attention, Aya interjected quietly, "It's okay, Ken. Omi doesn't need your protection and neither do I."

"But, Aya--" Ken tried to stop him, but a light squeeze to his arm before the atypical pressure vanished stopped him mid-sentence. 

Turning away from the stricken brunette's gaze and confronting Manx head-on, Aya admitted with so much exhausted honesty that the woman had trouble feeling angry with him for the sin of concealment, "It was my decision not to inform Kritiker of my condition, Manx. Yes, I was sleep deprived, but I wasn't going to risk being pulled from the mission so one of the doctor's from headquarters could dope me up so badly that I became useless to my teammates."

Firming her lipstick adorned mouth into a harsh red line, Manx frowned and stated, "So, because of your damned male pride, you're sitting here now in agony and will be out of commission for weeks on end again, is that it, Abyssinian?" She received an unapologetic nod that sent scarlet earlocks into motion before she huffed angrily, "Well, doesn't that just figure! Even if Bombay wasn't injured, you'd have just effectively sidelined Weiss and I hope you're happy with it!"

"C'mon, Manx," Yohji soothed as sweetly as he could in spite of the flare of ire her cruel words had ignited within him. "Lighten up a little. Aya got the job done and we'll make sure he does whatever the Kritiker doc's want in the future, okay?"

"Oh?" Manx asked with another huff. "You and what army is going to accomplish *that* highly unlikely task, Balinese?"

Smirking slightly and hoping to break the tension at least a little, Yohji replied, "Why, me and Siberian over there are the guys for a 'mission impossible' like that, Manx!" The sudden beaming smile on his lover's face made the strange movie reference entirely worthwhile even as he turned to face Aya and add, "If you'll let us, that is. We didn't go over your head this time around, Aya, but she's got a point. We can't take such huge risks in the future, you know?" 

Sighing gratefully and nodding, Aya actually surprised both Yohji and Ken by replying with uncharacteristic cooperativeness, "If that's the way you want it, Yohji, then fine." After closing his eyes and tilting his head back to rest heavily on the cushioned chair, he sighed more deeply and offered something completely unheard of, "And as soon as we know Omi's out of danger, you can have command of Weiss until I'm up to speed again."

A pair of startled green eyes widened, then blinked a few times before Yohji asked cautiously, "Did I just hear you right, Aya? Did you just offer me the con, so to speak?"

Regardless of the fact that they were using nautical jargon relating to the steering of a ship at sea, all four of those present understood what a huge responsibility Aya was offering to the slightly older assassin. Never before had Aya deferred command to anyone other than Omi and the rare moments either Ken or Yohji had spent with such an onus had always been when both field and tactical leaders were unconscious or worse. 

Moving with obvious pain and difficulty yet not being willing to miss the look on his friend's face, Aya reopened his eyes and said simply, "Yes."

Unsure how far this was meant to extend, Yohji immediately tested the waters by inquiring, "So, once Omi's in the clear, if I think you ought to be admitted to this hospital and get treated for exhaustion, you'll do it even if you don't want to?"

Holding their gazes locked together through sheer willpower, Aya replied, "Yes. That's what command is all about, isn't it?" 

"holy shit," Ken murmured inelegantly, then swiveled his chair toward both of his teammates and asked in a slightly more normal tone of voice, "For how long, Aya? Just what exactly are you offering here?" 

Breaking his gaze from Yohji in favor of giving Ken an equally penetrating look, Aya stated, "For as long as Yohji thinks it's necessary." Without casting a glance at Manx who was dumbfounded by this strange twist, he added, "Or until Kritiker intervenes, of course. But that shouldn't be necessary."

"Why the sudden change of heart, Aya?" Manx asked, using the swordsman's common name for the first time since she'd arrived. The unprecedented offer had stopped her runaway fury in its tracks and her feminine intuition told her a great many issues were ghosting below the surface of the words being spoken like sharks or dolphins racing beneath the unreadable surface of the sea. 

Still refusing to offer the woman even a split second glance, Aya shifted his eyes from Ken's curious brown ones to Yohji's baffled jade orbs and held the gaze for a moment in silence. He then admitted, "If I'd listened to Yohji earlier," his eyes flashed to Ken, then went back to Yohji, "no, to both of you, I wouldn't be incapacitated right now and possibly Omi wouldn't be in surgery. I may be a stubborn, predictable bastard at times, but I'd like to think that I can learn from my mistakes."

Words could not express the kaleidoscopic array of emotions running through those in the room following this bizarre yet welcome change. 

Despite the fact that he had no name for the strange tingling hope racing throughout him, Yohji somehow found the presence of mind to extend his right hand and wordlessly offer to seal their newly made bargain with a handshake. 

With the vaguest hint of a smile tugging at the corner of his lips, Aya equally wordlessly accepted the symbolic gesture. Moving as if they had but one mind between them, the two men shook hands sealing a pact that would one day apply to far more than their dangerous night lives. 

Admirably not feeling left out by the other two, Ken simply sat where he was smiling guardedly while silently delighting in the sincere hope that this was the turning point the three of them had needed for far longer than he'd been aware of before this eventful week. 

Quietly regarding the three men whose lives she'd help to mold and whose destinies she occasionally controlled, Manx nodded thoughtfully and planned to pass along this latest step in the maturation process of their best assassin team to Persia. Despite their ages and their tragic pasts which had forced them all to forego childish things too soon, the men of Weiss still had a long way to go to truly grow up. This new willingness to accept the role of subordinate instead of that of commander spoke well of Abyssinian and Manx was pleased to have been present to witness it.

The momentary silence of the room was suddenly broken by a knock at the door.

"Maybe it's Omi's doctor?" Ken suggested eagerly and rose to see if he was right.

"I hope so," Yohji agreed before releasing Aya's hand almost regretfully. 

Silenced by a yawn, Aya wanted to add that he felt the same way, yet couldn't. But as the door swung open, they were all disappointed to see the Kritiker agent Ken had sent on an errand standing there in lieu of a surgeon or other medical representative who could've given them all the much anticipated update on their youngest teammate.

Holding up a cardboard tray which held a trio of Styrofoam cups, the man nervously asked, "Did you want that tea now, Siberian, sir?" 

Astounded that he'd apparently frightened the older man, Ken laughed a little and reached for the tray as he replied, "You bet." As he glanced at what he held, though, he frowned, then asked, "Shouldn't you have gotten some for your boss, too, bozo?"

"Who?"

"Manx, moron. Wouldn't she want some tea, too?" 

"No, she wouldn't," a feminine voice interjected as Manx spared her agent further embarrassment due to having poorer manners than a nineteen year old volunteer soccer coach. Waving the newcomer away, she added, "Go check on the progress in the operating room. Remind them that we want an update before too awfully much longer."

"Yes, ma'am," the agent barely kept from saluting, then turned on his heel and disappeared as quickly as he had arrived. 

Soon, Ken had seen to it that his teammates each had a steaming cup of tea to warm them and hopefully keep them all going a few hours more as they awaited news on their young friend whose life or death struggle in surgery had yet to be resolved. The brunette kept careful watch on both of the men seated near him and it was a relief when the debriefing began anew and they were all once more their calm, rational selves. 

The meeting would last a while longer and then the painful waiting game would resume as the clock on the wall slowly ticked away the remaining hours until fate made clear her plans for Tsukiyono Omi. What news daybreak might bring was uncertain, but they all knew simply surviving this most horrible of nights would be a triumph in and of itself. 

*****

To be continued.

[Posting Run Dedication] This single chapter is hereby dedicated to the wonderfully patient readers who haven't tracked me down with pitchforks for being slow about getting more of this story out. That was never my intention, but as those who follow my LiveJournal already know, life became insanely hectic recently and this was the best I could do. Hopefully things will be more calm during the summer months and I will endeavor to bring this epic to a close in a timely manner if at all possible. After all, there are many other fascinating stories Melpomene and Erato wish to tell and wouldn't it be nice to see something different from them for a change?

Speaking of my LJ, my apologies to those of you who wish to leave me a message there but are blocked due to the "friends only" comment settings. After being stalked and then flamed in my own journal by people who ought to find better ways to spend their time, I selected that option hoping to avoid unnecessary pain. I may change that at some point in the future, but for now, I'll just say I'm sorry if it inconveniences anyone and invite any kind readers who wants me to add them to my friends list to let me know and I'll take care of it when time permits. Please see my "user info" page at LiveJournal.com--I'm listed there as "e_sama"--for details on how best to alert me to a request.

Please be advised: Part 31 will be posted alone.

Posted: 16 June 2003 ~1:30am EDT


	32. Facing Painful Realities

Greetings! Welcome back to the Angst Theatre's debut performance of "Neutral Territory" after an intermission that was far too long for my tastes had to be taken due to circumstances beyond my control. 

If you want to know what exactly has been going on, feel free to check out my entries at LiveJournal.com under username "e_sama", but don't feel obligated to do so if all you really want to do is enjoy more bishounen torture instead. Then again, that *is* the place for updates, quotes, teasers, and outtakes for all of my fics, so it may appeal to some of you, ne?

Tonight's two chapter addition to our angst-laden epic takes place exclusively in Komagome Hospital and focuses primarily on Nagi and his reaction to seeing Omi again after surgery for the gunshot wounds suffered during the battle with Charon and Glocksten. Some crucial issues that had remained unrevealed come to light and emotions run high as two unsuspecting souls must play the role of counselor to a boy who was once known to them as only an enemy. 

I sincerely hope that you will enjoy reading the latest 10,000 or so words my muses wish to offer you at least half as much as I enjoyed being Melpomene and Erato's tool to transcribe them. 

Lastly, please let me take this opportunity to say a word of thanks to the wonderful folks who've taken the time to leave supportive comments for this story at ff.net and MM.org. Without the over 290 supportive comments here at ff.net alone, I very much doubt that this mammoth undertaking would've gotten as far as it has and that's really saying something since the fic was initially released with a warning that it might never be completed at all.

Enjoy the angst!

~~~Enigma~~~

(who fought through the hell of an extended migraine attack combined with simply ghastly weather to bring you this and who humbly hopes that everyone reading it has had a better summer than he has) 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

****

Title: Neutral Territory [part 32/?]

Author: Enigma

Written: begun October, 2001 

Rating: R 

Pairings: (Omi + Nagi) (Yohji + Ken) (Brad + Schu) 

Category: Shonen ai/Yaoi Angst Friendship Romance Action Violence. AU-OOC. Giftfic.

Archive: fanfiction.net & mediaminer.org [author: "E-sama the Llama"] plus Wuffie.net [author: "Enigma"]

Warnings: shonen ai/yaoi, angst, masculine friendship in many forms, various levels of romance, action, coarse language, whiffs of citrus but nothing detailed, possibly graphic violence, bloodshed, tiny bits of humor, fluff, and sap; more warnings will be added as necessary. AU-OOC. Giftfic for Rubious.

Spoilers: Aya's sister's condition and a few other small things, nothing major.

Disclaimer: "Weiss Kreuz" is the property of Koyasu Takehito and Project Weiss. All original characters featured herein (including but not limited to: Glocksten, Charon, etc.) are © Enigma, 2003, and are not to be used without permission. This unauthorized work of fanfiction is intended for entertainment only; kindly do not sue me.

Notes: Omi's first trip to the public library results in an unexpected meeting when Nagi saves his life without being aware of the Weiss archer's identity. Can two lonely teens overcome the limits of their dark purpose in life to find friendship and possibly love in the midst of "neutral territory"? 

//thoughts// 

{{mental speech}}

*****

Sunday morning. The surgical recovery room in Komagome Hospital.

*****

The squeak of wheels that needed oiling awoke Nagi from his hazy sleep even as the first rays of dawn's welcome light painted skies he could not see in warm hues reminiscent of the glow of a cheerful fire upon a hearth. Orange, yellow, and red danced together across the few clouds remaining after a rainy night, yet none of those most in need of the heartening change in the weather was aware of it.

Forgetting that he had large gauge IV needles imbedded in him and that his left arm was immobilized by a thick bandage, Nagi moved to rub some of the sleep from his eyes before exclaiming softly, "ouch!" He glanced down at himself and nearly moaned as horrible flashbacks of the tragic events of the night before flooded his mind, thereby shocking him into silence once more.

"Where would you like us to put him?" A voice Nagi didn't recognize inquired and drew him back to awareness of the events taking shape around him.

"Over there, beside the other boy," a feminine voice he recognized as that of the nurse who had assisted him a few hours earlier replied. 

"We usually space patients in here farther apart than this. Are you sure that's wise?" Another new voice inquired. Nagi would later discover that this was the voice of the newly arrived male nurse who would take over responsibility for the recovery room from the woman who would be off duty soon.

The sound of paper rustling was drowned out as the squeak of wheels resumed and the familiar woman's voice assured, "Yes. Apparently the two boys know each other. It might bring some comfort to the one who was brought here first if he awakens to find that his friend is out of surgery now."

Unbeknownst to Nagi, due to the fact that the hospital's combination intensive/critical care unit was undergoing renovation, a patient as dangerously at risk as Omi was couldn't be placed where he truly ought to have been following surgery. Instead, he was being put in the second best location yet it was most beneficial for a terribly worried fifteen year old.

Despite the lingering exhaustion and mild confusion caused by his drug-induced sleep, the words spoken hadn't failed to register in the miserable telekinetic's mind.

//"His friend"?!//

Nagi's heart raced as he realized there was only one person they could be speaking about.

//Omi is here? Where?! Is he alright?! Why can't I see him?!//

"That's a good idea," the male voice replied and then faded away as the two nurses returned to the desk to complete the transfer of responsibility between them. 

Despite it being unwise in the extreme, Nagi craned his neck as much as he could as he heard yet could not see Omi being transferred from a gurney to the bed beside his own. A mere fabric curtain separated them, yet it might as well have been an impenetrable steel wall for all that he could see past it. 

As he moved upon his seemingly too-large bed, the needles in Nagi's arms shifted, but they weren't as painful as the recently sutured gunshot wound was when he inadvertently tugged it while trying to see. Predictably, the local anesthesia which had prevented him from feeling the surgery to repair the damage done by Charon's bullet had worn off while he had slept. The agonizing pain Nagi felt when he moved it was something he'd have to live with if he wished to avoid the mind-numbing effect of the powerful painkillers the surgeon had prescribed for him. 

Biting back an exclamation of pain since he didn't want to distract anyone attending to Omi, Nagi silently urged the unseen medical personnel at work nearby to hurry and leave so he could call forth his paranormal powers and get the offending divider out of his way. However, there were numerous monitor patches as well as far more bags of intravenous fluids than seemed reasonable for such a small body to have attached to it to be put into place, so it took awhile. 

After the longest twenty minutes of Nagi's short life, the various medical personnel required to install the Weiss archer in his temporary residence were done with their tasks and then left them alone once more. 

When the telekinetic was certain that he could use his paranormal powers without being observed, his eyes darkened appreciably as he carefully nudged the curtain separating them aside enough to see Omi. However, what he saw shocked him so badly that the flimsy cloth fluttered back into place almost immediately.

Badly shaken, Nagi lay limply against his pillow and tried to ignore the rush of blood pounding through his veins as he attempted to reassure himself that the beeping of the cardiac monitor nearby meant Omi was alive in spite of appearances to the contrary. Fighting down a surge of nausea, he unwillingly acknowledged his initial assessment of his dearest friend's condition.

//Oh gods, I've seen corpses that looked more alive than he does at the moment.//

Midnight blue eyes slipped shut as Nagi focused on the rhythmic noises of the respirator that was pushing oxygen enriched air through a breathing tube inserted down Omi's throat. The sound of the mechanism that approximated the actions of human lungs brought to mind the frightening mask taped over the injured boy's mouth and nose, and this realization sent another shudder of revulsion through the too-slender teen's body.

Attempting to realign his own thoughts, Nagi remonstrated himself silently.

//Hold your horses, Naoe! Stop thinking so negatively, moron. You're not doing Omi or yourself any good at all by doing that. Just take another look since they wouldn't have brought him in here unless he'd done alright in surgery. It's probably not as bad as you thought.//

With a supreme effort, Nagi set aside his fears and sent out intangible ribbons of force to ease the thin fabric curtain out of the way once more. Bravely, he made himself take a closer look at the unmoving form so near and yet so far, silently noting the bulges beneath the white cotton sheet shrouding Omi's torso that implied the hopefully repaired gunshot wounds were now swaddled in thick layers of bandages. From there, his gaze moved past the mask on a grayish face whose eyes remained closed despite Nagi's desperate wish to see them open even a fraction. 

Overall, the fallen Weiss assassin truly did look more like a corpse than he did a living and breathing person, and it was no surprise when the hot sting of tears made itself felt as the barrier was allowed to fall back into place. 

Even as Nagi fought the twin desires to cry due to the agony he was in physically as well as that caused by seeing the only person he'd dared to let himself begin to love, two new voices were added to the murmurs near the front of the room. Initially, he recognized them only as "Siberian" and "Balinese", but recalling Omi's fond comments about them, he tried to label them as "Hidaka Ken" and "Kudou Yohji", respectively despite being unable to discern their words clearly. 

"We're here to see Tsukiyono Omi," Ken quietly told the nurses even though they intended to see Nagi as well if at all possible. 

"Just a moment and then I'll take you to him," the male nurse assured while finishing the shift change paperwork that had distracted him from the video monitors which might have otherwise revealed the use of supernatural powers nearby. After tucking the forms away properly, he rose from behind the desk and said simply, "Follow me, please."

Wordlessly, Yohji and Ken fell into step behind the man who was quite a bit older than they were and as they approached the back of the room, the former private investigator's keen sight noted that only two of the beds in the recovery room were even occupied. He felt this was most fortunate since it would mean that the two youths that they were so concerned about would get the full attention of the staff and any source of hope they could find after such a tragic night was most welcome.

The thought regarding occupied beds and unoccupied ones brought to mind Aya's words of less than an hour prior when he had made good on his offer to empower the eldest member of Weiss with full command until further notice. 

Understandably, Yohji hadn't been completely convinced that particular transition would even come to pass as promised, yet it had with relatively little fanfare. The first action taken by the temporary team leader was, of course, to insist that his injured comrade be placed into a hospital room where he could get some rest even though there hadn't been a decision made yet regarding whether or not he would be admitted as a patient. 

A small, cautiously hopeful smile crossed Yohji's lips as he recalled the expression on Aya's face when he'd snuck a glance into the room where the swordsman lay immediately before going to visit their youngest teammate. The dreadful exhaustion had indeed weakened the scarlet-haired man's defenses enough that sleep had been able to claim him as soon as a nurse was done applying ice packs to his injured right leg. With a bit of luck, by the time Aya caught up on some much needed rest, he might also have less painful swelling to contend with and that would be a marked improvement. 

Unaware of the thoughts running through his lover's mind, Ken was considering other issues and expressed as much to the nurse by saying, "By the way, we wanted to check on Naoe Nagi while we were here, too. Will that be a problem?"

"Not in the least," the nurse assured, then added with a frown, "if he's awake, that is. According to his chart, his body doesn't seem to be metabolizing the sedatives they administered last night as quickly as it should, so he might still be resting." 

With a frown of his own, Ken replied, "Oh? Does that happen often? The failure to get rid of drugs in somebody's system, I mean."

"No, it doesn't. Not if they're healthy to begin with, that is," the middle-aged nurse answered and thereby added a new layer of concern that hadn't been in the former athlete's mind previously. Before Ken could ask for clarification of that fairly ominous sounding statement, they arrived in front of two curtain enshrouded beds and before fading into the background, he said quietly, "The youngsters you wanted to see are here. I'll be nearby in case you need anything."

"Thanks," Ken said for both of them and then mistakenly reached for the curtain that concealed Nagi's bed even though he had intended to check on Omi first. Seeing a pair of frightened eyes the color of the darkest blue he'd ever seen peering out of a pale face framed by an overly large starched white pillowcase, he forced a smile of a sort and asked, "Um, you're Omi's new friend, right?" 

At first, it was difficult for Ken to know how to deal with the frightened young man whose gaze held none of the icy disregard for himself and his lover that it always had during the clashes between Weiss and Schwarz which had included the telekinetic. 

For the most part, Nagi had typically remained in the shadows, an unseen yet powerful weapon in the psychics' arsenal against them. The sudden and unavoidable necessity for face to face communication was changing that as was the clear presence of deep-seated anxiety in the younger teen's expression. The fact that he was recovering from an injury incurred while attempting to defend their youngest teammate made a huge difference, too, of course. 

Swallowing the lump that had grown in his throat the moment he'd overheard Ken asking about him, Nagi nodded minutely and replied, "Yes, Ken-ku--" his voice quivered as he narrowly avoided calling the brunette by the nickname his cherished friend always had and ended with, "um, sir."

The slight smile slipped from Ken's lips and was replaced with a frown as he waved away the overly polite form of address even as he inquired worriedly, "Are you okay, kid? You're awfully damned pale and you look like you've seen a ghost." 

Unable to respond vocally, Nagi just nodded again and shifted his gaze to Yohji who stood behind Ken quietly observing the boy whose presence in Omi's life had changed so much for himself as well as his teammates. 

Drawing on over two decades of experiences not all of which had been pleasant, Yohji could easily see that Nagi had lived a difficult life and he had no doubt that the haunted expression in his eyes reflected many possibly tragic secrets. With a sad shake of his head, he gently pushed past his lover and offered, "Just relax, Nagi. With Ken and me around now, nothing is going to go wrong for you or Omi, okay?"

Shoving a second lump out of his throat that had formed because he worriedly wondered why Ken seemed to be unsure of the way he felt about him, Nagi asked, "Um, you two aren't angry with me?" 

Carefully keeping a charming smile on his face, Yohji shrugged lightly and said as reassuringly as possible, "Of course not." Wishing for even a tiny glimpse of what was running through the obviously strained teen's mind, he added, "Why should we be?" 

With an expression of infinite regret, Nagi turned away and replied quietly, "Omi almost died last night because of me. He might by dying right now for all that I've been told and, well, it's all my fault." 

"The hell you say," Yohji gently disagreed with a sad smile that he truly meant. Reaching out to lightly touch the distressed youth's chin and thereby force him to look up once more, he stated firmly, "We're in a dangerous line of work just like you are. A whole lot of things went wrong last night, that's true, but it's not your fault by any stretch of the imagination."

"But--" Nagi tried to argue, yet was stopped mid-sentence. 

"No 'buts' about it," Ken interjected unexpectedly. As often happened, his innate empathic ability had come to the fore as soon as he saw how badly shaken the frail youth truly was and he couldn't hold onto his guilt about unwittingly aiding the two boys' relationship even if he wanted to. Meaningfully resting a warm, possessive hand atop his lover's shoulder since he rightly assumed Omi had mentioned their own special connection, he further stated, "I learned a long time ago that beating yourself up over something you've got no control over is a waste of time and energy. Instead, why don't you answer my question for real?"

"Question?" Nagi echoed distractedly while thoughts of the things Omi had told him about Ken and Yohji being a couple haphazardly came to mind. He hated what the drugs lingering in his system combined with the pain in his arm was doing to his ability to think, but didn't want to admit that to these two men who were so terribly important to his best friend. It never even occurred to him that they were also quite lethal even without their weapons and if either one had wanted him dead for his role in Omi's injury he'd no doubt have been embroiled in battle at this point. 

Ken sighed and then commented flatly, "I don't even know you at all, but I can tell you're pretty much a burnout case, kid. I know you're worried sick about Omi, but what else is bugging you? Is that arm of yours causing you a lot of pain or something?" As a flicker of acknowledgement which he couldn't hide fast enough for it to have gone unseen passed over Nagi's face, Ken added with a nod, "Thought so. Give me a sec, I'll go tell the nurse." Without waiting for permission to interfere from the patient himself, he started to turn to do just that.

"Thanks, Kenken," Yohji murmured appreciatively. There were many unanswered questions lingering in the air around them, but none were worth foisting more agony on the sable-haired youth than was necessary. 

"No problem, Yohji," Ken replied and stepped away for a moment to confer with the nurse who was staying out of earshot yet remaining close to hand as promised. 

Watching the brief interaction between the pair and marveling at how different they were from the two often combative lovers that he himself lived with whose relationship made no sense whatsoever, Nagi began to see why Omi was as dedicated to his friends as he was. This thought, however, led to one that brought a fearful expression back to his eyes as he said nervously, "Um, no one has told me about Omi's condition yet. Earlier, Aya said that someone would make sure to do that, but I guess everyone forgot." 

A tiny scowl creased Yohji's forehead for a moment, then he shook his head and replied, "We didn't forget, Nagi, but apparently you were asleep when we asked the nurse in here to relay the news to you. We were a little busy getting Mr. I'm-Too-Damned-Stubborn-to-Use-a-Wheelchair tucked into a bed whether he liked it or not, or one of us would've been down to tell you ourselves."

"Oh, all right," Nagi answered in a soft voice and then pleaded for information with luminous eyes which glimmered at him like twin cabochons of lapis lazuli. 

Running a hand through his loose blond hair in an effort to keep it out of his eyes, Yohji smiled once more and then said gently, "All right, but just a word of warning first, though. I haven't a clue how accustomed you are with injuries on your own side of the Weiss-Schwarz equation, but we're sadly used to this kind of near-lethal stuff, so don't freak out, all right?" 

After receiving an appropriately nervous nod of agreement, Yohji continued with forced casualness, "Well, let's see. Where to begin? The biggest immediate problem that Omiitchi is facing has to do with breathing since both lungs had a bullet apiece go all the way through them," he noted but didn't comment on the gasp of shock this news caused, preferring to keep going since there was so much to cover. "Of course, that also meant a bunch of ribs got messed up, but what was tough for the doctors to fix was his diaphragm and *that* wouldn't have been damaged if that bastard Charon hadn't been shooting upwards at the angle that he did. Anyway, as thin as that membraney-thing is, they had the devil's own time repairing it, but it ought to be all right in a few months and his lungs should be good as new a little sooner."

As the leader pro tem of Weiss so casually catalogued injuries that seemed horrible simply by virtue that it was the endearing blond tactician who had suffered them, Nagi's already pale complexion lightened even further. When Yohji paused to gather his thoughts, a sudden wave of nausea tried to overcome him, yet Nagi manfully swallowed back a mouthful of bile and ignored the sensation of hot teardrops that were gathering in the corner of his eyes as he asked, "Is there more?"

Unhappily noting that his attempt to lessen the impact of this heartrending news was failing, Yohji heaved a dark sigh and dropped his affected nonchalance before saying, "Unfortunately, yeah, there is." His shoulders slumped a little as he continued, saying, "Again because of the angle of impact, both bullets ripped through some internal organs before they even got to his lungs in the first place. Omi's spleen was a total loss, but that's no biggie since it can be compensated for. The same can't be said about his liver, though, since he'd lost a chunk of it a few years past when some damned punk shoved a crowbar through him during a mission. The doctors were really careful though, and we're hoping they saved enough that it might regenerate given time and the use of some new experimental drugs." [1] 

By this point, twin trails of wetness were painting themselves down previously pale cheeks which had faded to an ashen gray as the shocking news overwhelmed Nagi's self-control. Upon hearing such unfavorable news, he asked in a tiny voice that almost went unheard, "What happens to Omi if it doesn't grow back?" 

Wishing there was a way to spare the boy the truth yet knowing that there wasn't, Yohji replied, "Then we hope to whatever gods might be listening that we can find a donor. Something not too terribly likely considering the way so many people don't take such things seriously while there's still time, but at least we can hope." 

The full realization of how bad the situation truly was washed over Nagi and with a sob he was unable to stifle, the telekinetic turned away and let his pillow soak up his tears as they poured forth unashamedly. Somehow, he simply couldn't find anything at all hopeful in the lanky blond man's words and the fear of losing Omi left a cold chill in his heart that rapidly spread throughout him.

During Yohji's uncomfortable yet honest explanation of their friend's injuries, Ken had returned with all of the silent grace that he routinely displayed when on the hunt for Tokyo's vilest criminals. He hadn't intended on leaving him alone to face that confession of sorts, but he had faith that his partner in so many things could rise to the occasion and deliver it with as little pain as possible. 

Sensing that he was no longer standing there alone, Yohji glanced over his shoulder and tendered one of the saddest smiles Ken could recall ever seeing on his handsome face. They were both completely realistic about the facts of the matter and even though Omi's condition had slowly begun to stabilize, he was not out of danger yet by any means. Should the liver fail to regenerate despite the new treatment options, an entirely new set of crises would develop, but that was something no one could predict at this point.

A few tense moments passed as Nagi tried to pull himself back together. Oddly enough, it was the almost unendurable agony of the wound in his arm that eventually allowed him to refocus on the here and now, something that was reinforced by the return of the nurse who brought the boy medication as well as soothing herbal tea. Furthermore, the nurse needed to check his patient's temperature and other vital signs and he began to do so with a quiet efficiency that bespoke decades of dedicated service.

After quietly murmuring a few words of encouragement to them both, Ken and Yohji left Nagi in the older man's care for a short time and went to check on their fallen comrade. 

Neither of them was surprised or unduly distressed to see the ghastly pale complexion of the typically rosy-cheeked teen laying beneath snowy sheets since they'd been through similar scenarios so often that it was almost a matter of course for them. The same could be said for the small squadron of IV bags hanging nearby which were connected by tubing and needles inserted in various parts of Omi's body and bringing him much needed blood and other vital fluids. 

Each florist/assassin found a few things to say by way of greeting mostly just to let the unconscious youth know that he wasn't alone as per standard approaches for such occasions. Neither expected a response and they certainly didn't get one, but just seeing Omi's pulse, respiration, and blood pressure displayed on the various monitors surrounding him brought them hope. 

A quiet voice eventually interrupted them by asking, "Gentlemen?"

"Yes?" Yohji asked, turning towards the nurse with a less woebegone expression than the newcomer expected to see. Visitors who came to see patients in conditions as serious as Omi's was were rarely as calm as the men of Weiss were, but the middle-aged RN had no way of knowing the explanation for their seeming ease regarding the situation. 

"Whenever you're done here, I believe Naoe would like to speak with you again." The nurse then frowned almost imperceptibly and added, "He's calmed down quite a bit and the painkillers I just administered ought to knock him out shortly, so I don't think it will be a problem that your visitation has lasted a bit longer than it probably should have."

"Gotcha," Yohji acknowledged, then asked, "But what's with the frown? Are his vitals not good or something?"

Shaking his head slowly, the nurse replied in a deliberately hushed tone that he hoped would not be heard above the whirring machines surrounding them, "His blood pressure is elevated more than I expected it to be despite his obvious agitation. Also, there are some other issues that I prefer not to discuss without data to back up my hunches, but suffice it to say that I'm more concerned about some things that only blood work can uncover." 

"That sounds bad," Ken remarked equally quietly and shot a glance at his partner who nodded with a grim line of determination forming where his lips met. 

Wearing the non-smile that indicated Balinese was hovering barely below the surface, Yohji softly suggested so firmly that it almost sounded like a command, "Then why don't you get somebody up from the lab ASAP and let's find out what's going on?"

"I'll get right on it," the older man assured, then vanished intending to get the doctor on call to officially request the tests that he felt were necessary.

The duo exchanged a wordless conversation for a brief moment, then with a sigh, Yohji told the unconscious youth whose bed they'd remained beside during the short, tense discussion with the nurse, "Well, bishounen, we're gonna go chat some more with your new best bud. Work hard on getting awake again and we'll see you later, okay?"

"Later, Omi," Ken added in a slightly distracted tone as they stepped from one curtained off area to another. He was pleasantly surprised to see that the nurse had removed the needle from the back of Nagi's left hand now that he had as much additional blood as was best and a fresh bag of clear fluids was now delivering healthful electrolytes via the needle in his right elbow. 

Some of the color had returned to Nagi's horribly washed-out face, but the forlorn way that his eyelids draped miserably over his dark sapphire eyes conveyed a sense of sorrow that no simple medication could ever ease. Only the lilting alto of the unconscious boy nearby could heal some of the heartache that seemed to radiate from him and Ken and Yohji both knew it. 

A brief, uncomfortable silence enfolded the three one-time enemy assassins as the two members of Weiss wondered how best to assist the fragile seeming Schwarz psychic who fate had thrust into their lives. For better or for worse, Nagi was becoming as important to them as he had already become to Omi and what this might mean in the long run was a complete and potentially dangerous mystery to them all. 

*****

To be continued.

Author's Note:

[1] The topic of liver regeneration has been a hot one in medical science for decades. Until recently, the human liver could repair itself in only a very limited fashion, hence the once high rate of fatalities due to cirrhosis, hepatic cancer, etc. However, recent advancements in the world of genetic engineering far too complicated to go into here have yielded some highly promising new treatment options and I am invoking some of these within the narrative as quietly as I can. Furthermore, regarding the topic of liver transplantation, this is now considered a reliable technique, however there are far fewer donor organs available than there are patients who would benefit from them.

Please be advised: Parts 32 & 33 will be posted together.

Posted: 05 August 2003 ~2:45am EDT


	33. Gaining New Perspectives

****

Title: Neutral Territory [part 33/?]

Author: Enigma

Written: begun October, 2001 

Rating: R 

Pairings: (Omi + Nagi) (Yohji + Ken) (Brad + Schu) 

Category: Shonen ai/Yaoi Angst Friendship Romance Action Violence. AU-OOC. Giftfic.

Archive: fanfiction.net & mediaminer.org [author: "E-sama the Llama"] plus Wuffie.net [author: "Enigma"]

Warnings: shonen ai/yaoi, angst, masculine friendship in many forms, various levels of romance, action, coarse language, whiffs of citrus but nothing detailed, possibly graphic violence, bloodshed, tiny bits of humor, fluff, and sap; more warnings will be added as necessary. AU-OOC. Giftfic for Rubious.

Spoilers: Aya's sister's condition and a few other small things, nothing major.

Disclaimer: "Weiss Kreuz" is the property of Koyasu Takehito and Project Weiss. All original characters featured herein (including but not limited to: Glocksten, Charon, etc.) are © Enigma, 2003, and are not to be used without permission. This unauthorized work of fanfiction is intended for entertainment only; kindly do not sue me.

Notes: Omi's first trip to the public library results in an unexpected meeting when Nagi saves his life without being aware of the Weiss archer's identity. Can two lonely teens overcome the limits of their dark purpose in life to find friendship and possibly love in the midst of "neutral territory"? 

//thoughts// 

{{mental speech}}

*****

Sunday morning. The surgical recovery room in Komagome Hospital. 

*****

After less than a minute had stretched itself into a small eternity while he pondered the frightening truth about his best friend's medical condition, Nagi sighed unhappily and forced his eyes open once again. 

The youngest member of Schwarz peered up at Yohji and Ken with sad curiosity as he admitted, "I've never seen anyone look as bad as Omi does right now and not end up in the morgue. Have you…?" The way his question trailed off was as close to being hopeful as he dared to let himself be, yet in his heart, the mournful boy silently begged them for a new perspective.

Giving the question serious thought instead of simply giving a glib reply that wouldn't help the boy cope much as Aya had done earlier that morning, Ken replied contemplatively, "Truthfully, I've only seen a handful of people that appeared worse than he does now who pulled through just fine." With a slightly sardonic twist of his lips, he then gestured towards his lover and amended pointedly, "But this guy right here was one of them, so I think that pretty much says it all as far as I'm concerned." 

Midnight blue eyes widened as Nagi asked in a surprised tone, "Really, Ken-kun?" Unaware that he was automatically mimicking Omi's form of address for the brunette, he added, "What happened? Or would you rather not talk about it, Yohji-kun?" 

Chuckling softly and feeling grateful for the distraction that a painful incident from the past could be under the right circumstances, Yohji shrugged lightly and remarked, "Well, Nagi, I'd like to say it happened when I was busy rescuing a sexy idol singer from some nefarious so-and-so, but it didn't." With a scowl that flit across his face briefly, he explained, "A few years ago, back before Weiss was really Weiss since Aya hadn't been dropped into our laps yet, Ken and me went out for a drive one night and got run off the road by some drunk salaryman. [1] To make a long and painful story short, Ken was thrown free unhurt--thank the stars--but my convertible and the other idiot's sedan got all tangled up with me trapped in the middle of it."

The small gasp of shock from the bandaged youth laying nearby earned Nagi a reassuring smile that replaced the scowl before Yohji concluded his story, saying, "Both cars were totaled, the other driver got a one-way ticket to the crematorium, and I ended up pretty well mangled." After a brief, grateful glance at the chocolate-eyed teen beside him, he continued, "But Kenken stuck by me and Omiitchi did the same, so even though I felt like hell and wanted to die a few times after the accident, I hung tough and here I am. End of story."

Crossing his arms over his scrub-clad chest with a snort, Ken remarked acidly, "There was a lot more to it than that, baka, and you know it! You left out the part about being in a coma that left you a semi-amnesiac for a month while you were in a spinal brace, just for starters!" 

"Now, now, Kenken," Yohji soothed, offering his partner an apologetic expression and a meaningful glance at the bedridden youth, "I didn't want to go into all the gory details just now. I think that Nagi's got enough to worry over and doesn't need more fuel for whatever nightmares might track him down later, right?"

"Oh, right." Ken looked chagrinned as he turned towards the fifteen year old and said, "Sorry about that, Nagi. Just thinking about the fact that some selfish asshole who'd been drinking thought he'd ignore all the good reasons to the contrary and get behind the wheel of a car gets me a bit pissed off." 

"Is that really all there is to it?" Yohji teased lightly. Realizing he could use this topic to begin to address something more pertinent, he added gently, "Or would it be more truthful to say that it pisses you off that if I'd died that night we'd never have gotten together a few years later, hmmm?" 

"Yeah, that, too," Ken replied casually. He was about to add a rejoinder about the fact that he had to wait for Yohji to recover from that accident and then get his unsatisfying womanizing out of his system long before the two of them could explore what they shared now. Yet when he saw a certain gleam in twinkling verdant eyes, he fell silent and let his partner lead the conversation in whatever direction he wished to. There were advantages to being with someone as charming and easy to talk to as Yohji was and this was one of them.

While the two men had bantered back and forth lightly about so heavy a subject, Nagi had been perplexed and it wasn't due to the continued interference the medications in his bloodstream was causing. Ever since the fateful meeting on Monday, the Schwarz telekinetic had been comparing the lives of the men of Weiss with that of his own team and he continued to come to frightening realizations that he probably wouldn't have contemplated otherwise. 

Visions that Nagi's imagination conjured up for him of Yohji following the auto wreck as well as the briefly mentioned incident when Omi had been stabbed through with a crowbar as if it was a very crude sword terrified him. Guiltily, he realized that he and his own comrades were rarely significantly injured in large part due to their paranormal powers as well as Crawford's precognitive warnings that kept them out of harm's way on a regular basis.

//It never even occurred to me that Omi and his Weiss teammates were as vulnerable to injury as they are, but I guess it makes sense. Yet to hear these two talk about it, this kind of thing happens to them all the time and that's awfully hard to believe or to accept. How can they stand to live that way?//

Unaware of the temporary darkness creeping through Nagi's consciousness, Yohji decided to take the initiative regarding matters of a less visceral nature and inquired, "So, Nagi, is it safe to assume that Omi already told you about Ken and me?"

Pushing away his unhappy thoughts in favor of something far less worrisome, Nagi replied quietly, "Yes, he did. I hope you're not angry with him because of it." His eyes shifted towards the curtain hanging nearby and added with a sigh, "But we never thought you'd even know about it. We thought we could keep our relationship a secret and so we were pretty honest about stuff we probably should've been a little more discrete about."

Scratching his head as he wondered what Nagi was really concerned about, Yohji commented, "No, it's okay that he told you. We keep it to ourselves for the most part--especially around all the fangirls in the shop who would make a scene over it that Hitchcock could be proud of--but since Ken and me hang out in lots of different gay bars as a couple, it's not exactly a deep dark secret by any means." Gazing at the too-slender boy openly, he added a cautious question of his own, "Since it kind of goes without saying that you were hoping for a similar relationship down the road with Omi, can I ask what it was that drew you two together in the first place?"

Flashes of memory not even a week old came to Nagi's mind even as he replied somewhat distractedly, "Well, I was at the library and there was an accident that I saved him from. Then we…" His words trailed off as he noted dissatisfaction in the friendly jade green eyes that were far more comforting than the usually taunting emerald ones he was far more familiar with. Instead of continuing, he shoved aside thoughts of Schuldich and asked with a frown, "But that wasn't what you meant, was it?"

"No, Nagi, it certainly wasn't," Yohji smiled a little hoping to get the same from the boy who hadn't smiled once since they'd arrived. Failing in that effort, he explained, "What I'm curious about is what you two saw in each other that gave you the guts to risk the level of sheer hell you could've been exposing yourselves to by becoming close. And I don't mean the situation as it stands here and now, I mean the kind of crap that could've happened if your bosses found out and ordered you to eliminate 'Bombay' because of it or vice versa."

Predictably, Nagi shuddered as this very real possibility was presented yet instead of expressing his fears, he merely sighed deeply and admitted in an ashamed tone of voice, "Like I said, we thought we could keep it a secret. If we stayed on 'neutral territory' where none of you and none of my own teammates would go, we thought everything would be okay." Daring to look away from Yohji only long enough to see what Ken seemed to be thinking and finding him frowning, he added very quietly, "I guess that was awfully naïve of us, wasn't it?"

"Yes, it was," Yohji said with unexpected gentleness. Before Nagi could reply to that, however, he stated simply, "But you two *are* a couple of kids and you need to cut yourself some slack because of it. Besides, Omi has never had a friend like you before and he was a little giddy about the whole thing, so it's no surprise that he wasn't thinking things all the way through." 

The faintest wisp of a smile slipped across Nagi's lips before vanishing once more when he admitted, "I find it hard to believe that someone as incredible as he is hasn't got a lot of friends better than me to spend time with."

Deciding that he'd had enough of being silent, Ken spoke up and asked, "Why do you say that, Nagi? The part about other people being better than you, I mean."

Narrow brown eyebrows so dark that they were almost black drew together as Nagi wrestled with himself for a moment about whether or not to divulge the truth about his sordid past. Even though he felt he was being cowardly, he chose not to reveal it and only responded by saying, "Omi would know what I meant."

Ken snorted softly and replied, "Well, if Omi *would* know and he *still* chose you for a friend, what's the big deal?" Waving a hand in the direction of the unconscious boy so close by, he added firmly, "Look, Nagi, we all have our secrets and I'm not asking you what yours are, but you've got to admit that Omi's a damned fine judge of people. So if he thinks you're good enough to spend time with, you *are*! And that's that." Feeling his point was made, he crossed his arms over his chest and practically dared the startled boy to disagree with him.

Unable to keep from laughing a little, Yohji glanced sidelong at his partner and shook his head before commenting, "Well, Nagi, you've now had a taste of Hidaka Ken in soccer coach-cum-motivational speaker mode, but he's right. Omi chose *you* for a friend and we heard his side of the story when you were only 'Xavier' to us, but I'm still curious about your side of all this."

That fleeting hint of a smile tried to reestablish itself on Nagi's face and stayed a fraction of a second longer than its predecessor had. Then it was gone again as he nervously inquired, "He'd mentioned that he told you a few things about me, but I didn't know what they were. Um, uh…" he stammered for a moment and then just let his slightly hopeful expression say what words apparently couldn't.

The couple shared knowing glances and then it was Ken who took the lead by saying, "Actually, I was the first one to hear about 'Xavier' and that was, um, I think it was on Thursday when we were working together in the flower shop." Warming to the topic, he let his arms relax to rest at his sides as he continued, "Omi was practically floating on air since he was so happy about something, so I bugged him about it until he admitted that he'd met someone special. He said the kid shared a lot of his interests and he went on and on about how terrific he was, too."

Unable to accept this since he'd spent the vast majority of his life being put down and having his low sense of self-worth endorsed at every turn or so he'd thought, Nagi asked, "Are you sure he meant me?"

Giving the boy in the bed a meaningful gaze before rolling his eyes and thereby reminding them all that Ken was still a teenager, too, the response he offered was a classic, "Well, duh!"

For the first time since he'd arrived in the recovery room, a subtle hint of rose warmed Nagi's cheeks and that was all it took to bring the blond into the conversation once more.

"As a matter of fact, we even got him to admit to having a pretty serious crush on 'Xavier', Nagi," Yohji commented as nonchalantly as he could despite the fact that he had a great deal riding on his next remark. "I wonder if his sentiments were returned or not?" 

Wide-eyed wonder spread itself across Nagi's features as soon as the word "crush" was uttered and in all honesty, the surprised boy never even heard the important question that Yohji had put to him thereafter. Snippets of conversations the two teens had shared raced behind temporarily sightless midnight eyes as the telekinetic desperately tried to discover for himself if Omi had ever indicated that he wanted more than friendship. 

Unfortunately, as he'd expressed to Crawford earlier that very morning, the youngest Schwarz psychic truly didn't know the depth of the affection Omi felt for him. Yes, they'd shared a poignant embrace and a sweet kiss after dinner together on Friday night, but the gentle archer had very clearly stated that Nagi was his "best friend" and hadn't even hinted that he might desire him as a "boyfriend". 

The best long-term relationships always started that way, but as inexperienced as he was and with no one to turn to for advice on such things the way that Omi had turned to Ken, Nagi had no way of knowing that. 

When an answer to his deliberately loaded question was slow in coming, Yohji scowled and turned to Ken asking without words if he had any idea what was going through the now slightly flushed youth's mind. 

Totally lost, Ken shrugged and held his empty hands apart in a gesture intended to express a wish that he could supply the information that they both needed yet he could not. 

To the utter shock of both of the men who were trying to begin to understand the somewhat confusing telekinetic, Nagi's expression slowly fell like a soufflé taken from the oven too soon. Then, even as the rosy blush faded away too, he said sadly, "He certainly never told me that he had any romantic feelings towards me. But it doesn't matter. I doubt Omi's going to care as much about me now as he used to when he finds out how much trouble I've caused him." Agonized blue eyes slipped back to the fabric which blocked his view of his wounded friend, but he wisely suppressed the desire to attest again that the current situation was all his fault. 

"Now, that's a load of horse manure if ever I heard one," Yohji said quietly and finally dared to move close enough to reach down and rest a warm hand on Nagi's shoulder for a moment to draw his attention. Then he inclined his head towards him and added, "He's not that shallow, Nagi, I promise you that."

"Yohji's right, you know," Ken asserted, then asked pointedly, "If your situations were reversed, would this have made you care less about him? I mean, if you were in that other bed, tubes and wires going in and out of you like a jury-rigged ham radio while he was laying over here worrying himself sick about you, do you think he'd be less important to you afterwards?" 

"Of course not!" Nagi exclaimed with the first signs of confidence that he'd displayed throughout their conversation. He flicked his eyes from the brunette to the blond hovering above him and back again before he added less loudly yet no less passionately, "But I'm *not* him. I'm just a friendless fifteen year old loner who would be a total idiot to turn away from someone as wonderful as Omi, so it's not a fair comparison."

Straightening up after giving the slender shoulder beneath his fingers a final, encouraging squeeze, Yohji asked with a partial smile, "Oh? You think he's 'wonderful', do you? I think so, too, but I'd bet it's for very different reasons."

Not realizing he'd finally fallen into the trap Yohji had attempted to spring on him several times already, Nagi shook his head a little and replied, "I don't know you well enough to agree or disagree about that, Yohji-kun. To me Omi is not just 'wonderful' for all the obvious reasons like the facts that he's so kind to everyone and really handsome in a cute way, but he's also the very first person I've ever met that showed me unconditional respect. Because of that, I could trust him like I've never trusted anyone else *ever*! So no matter what happened to me, I'd never stop caring about him."

These weren't the answers Yohji had been fishing for and they surprised him for a moment yet offered him the perfect segue he needed to be able to state, "Then go ahead and *trust* him now to not turn his back on you because of what happened last night. Our Omi is steadfastly loyal if nothing else and he's not going to let adding some new scars to his personal collection make one whit of difference in the long run."

Wearing a soft, affectionate smile, Ken added, "Yohji's right again, Nagi. And he was right about Omi having it bad for you, too. I've gotten to know him really well in the last few years--protecting each other's backs on long surveillance missions can do that to you--and it's safe to say he's never been happier than he has been since you came into his life this week. Granted, you and the rest of Schwarz have been in all our lives in the past when we fought each other, but I think you know what I mean, right?"

Unsuccessfully fighting a sudden urge to yawn since the powerful painkiller the nurse had given him was starting to make itself felt, Nagi wanted to ask if they were absolutely certain, his own doubts and low self-confidence were muddying everything more than the drugs in his system were. 

Well aware that the exhausted boy needed to rest again as per the nurse's instructions, Yohji made an executive decision and put an end to their important discussion. "Now, instead of pushing my luck and having Kenken here pronounce me wrong on something, I think we'll get out of your hair for awhile so you can rest, Nagi. Remember what we said and don't lose faith. Sooner or later, Omiitchi's going to wake up again and I'm willing to bet the first person he asks to see is you, so you'd better find a smile between now and then to give him at that point, all right?" 

With an effort, Nagi brought a vague shadow of a smile to his lips and promised, "I'll try, Yohji-kun. Thank you both for talking with me." He paused, then added uncertainly, "I, well, I may not be able to accept everything you've told me as easily as you want me to, but I really needed to hear what you said."

Throughout the conversation, Ken had been making mental notes to add to his already strong complaints about the people Nagi worked and apparently lived with, but he didn't let that negativity be reflected in his eyes or his voice as he said, "Anytime, Nagi. Get some sleep and we'll come see you again in a while." A sudden realization made his own smile brighten as he added, "But I just realized, you probably *are* going to be the first of us to see him when Omi wakes up again. You're right next to him already, you know."

Despite the fact that this should've been blindingly obvious to him from the start yet it wasn't since his thoughts were so badly perturbed, Nagi found sufficient cause for happiness in this simple statement that his own smile finally became a real one even if it was a bit shy. Hope lit previously dark eyes as he replied, "I didn't think of it that way, Ken-kun, but you're right. Thanks." 

"No problem," Ken assured as another deep yawn took the power of speech away from the telekinetic. With a small jerk of his head towards the door, he said, "C'mon, Yohji. Let's give the kid some peace and quiet."

Offering Nagi a wink of farewell, Yohji turned and held a hand out gallantly inviting Ken to lead the way while he teased, "Do you think they've got any Worcestershire or Tobasco sauce if I get scrambled eggs for breakfast in the cafeteria?" 

Rolling his eyes skywards, Ken harrumphed on cue and playfully muttered something about doubting the hospital staff's cooking was as good as his own, so there had better be some reliable condiments available. 

Alone once more, Nagi felt the desire to smile fade and his face resumed the forlorn expression it had worn most of the time the two lovers had visited him. Weariness was overcoming his ability to resist it, so he sent out unseen tendrils of force one last time, nudging the curtain aside only long enough for him to gaze anxiously at his friend while hoping Omi's teammates were right about absolutely everything. 

*****

Sunday morning. Various locations in Komagome Hospital.

***** 

After stopping by the recovery room's front desk and being informed that the lab work the nurse had wanted performed on Nagi would be slightly delayed, Yohji and Ken headed back into the desolate interior corridors of the hospital theoretically en route to the cafeteria. But somehow their feet had other plans and before long they were approaching the hallway that led to the closed door behind which Aya was hopefully getting some of the sleep that his insomnia had denied him for so long.

A pensive quiet had settled over them during their short journey and as often was the case, the two lovers' thoughts were running in parallel. Hence, it was no surprise when Ken asked in a subdued tone, "Did all that stuff we just went through with Nagi remind you of anyone else who has a hard time accepting that people might really care for him and then letting them act on it?"

"If by any chance you mean a certain mulishly stubborn redhead who seems to think he's perfectly fine keeping all of life's joys at arm's length for reasons that are still opaque to me, then, yes," Yohji replied with a sad smirk. "If you mean someone else, I haven't a clue."

Halfheartedly punching his partner in the arm, Ken responded, "You knew damned good and well that I was talking about Aya, Yohji. Don't be a smartass." 

Tilting his head while gazing down fondly at the man walking beside him, the blond sighed and said, "Sorry, babe. Just trying to lighten the mood a little."

Shoving a thick thatch of coffee brown hair out of his eyes so he could look up at his lover without impediment, Ken apologized, saying, "No, I'm the one who's sorry, Yohji." With a deep sigh of fatigue and regret, he added, "It's been one helluva stressful morning after a damned bad night and I'm just frayed at the edges enough to snap at you for no reason."

Knowing what they both needed was a place to sleep preferably together and knowing that they wouldn't get it, Yohji commented sagely, "You've got that right, Ken-love." He followed up the rare use of the endearment usually reserved for private moments with a brief, one-armed embrace that brought the smile back to Ken's lips. As he let his arm drop away when the sound of a cart being pushed some distance away reached their ears, he asked, "So, what about our problem child, little Fujimiya-chan? Any ideas on how we might get through to him that he's not as alone as he thinks?" 

"Possibly yes, much to my surprise," Ken admitted with a slightly confused grin on his face. Seriousness replaced the mild bafflement as he asked, "Did you catch what it took to get Nagi to come out of his funk long enough to sound like he had a yen's worth of hope left in life when we were talking with him?" 

Frowning a little as he considered the question for a moment, Yohji honestly didn't think he had the right solution when he answered uncertainly, "You mean the part with the role reversal stuff? If he was the one all shot to hell instead of Omi and such like?"

Waving this reply away as if it was a vexing insect interrupting a fascinating tennis tournament, Ken said, "No, not *that* part. I meant the part where he said he was nothing but a friendless loner yet when Omi gave him respect he finally found someone he could trust completely. Remember?"

Comprehension fairly glowed in his eyes as Yohji nodded and said, "Yeah, that's right. Aya tends to consider himself a loner, too, even though he really isn't one or he'd never bake you brownies or help out extra in the shop when he doesn't have to. Regardless, maybe respect and trust are the keys for him the same as they are for Nagi?"

"Maybe not *all* of the keys that we need to unlock that frozen prison cell he's trapped his soul in, but I'm willing to bet that they're some of them," Ken stated confidently. "Abyssinian's a pretty complex guy, though, and whatever the full answer turns out to be, it's apt to take a lot of time and effort."

"Baby, if you're willing to give it a shot with me," Yohji replied earnestly, "then I am more than happy to contribute whatever it takes to pull 'Fujimiya Ran' clear of the façades he hides behind as 'Abyssinian' and 'Fujimiya Aya' both. Respect, trust, patience, perseverance, and whatever else it takes, I'm in the game if you are." 

Offering the man beside him a nod and that open smile which lit up his face and brought out his irresistible boy-next-door good looks, Ken agreed, "Deal me in, Yohji. I'll gladly meet that ante and if he ups the bids, I'll match that, too."

Chuckling quietly as they came closer to the door to Aya's room, Yohji remarked offhandedly, "Have you ever noticed how quickly we change metaphors when we're tired, Kenken? First prison cells, then false fronts for buildings, now poker?" 

Shrugging before placing a finger to his lips signaling for quiet, Ken didn't bother to acknowledge the statement even as he quietly opened the door and peeked in on their sleeping teammate. Unfortunately, Aya had turned away from them to lay facing the wall and they couldn't tell if he was resting peacefully or not. 

Creeping into the room silently after easing the door shut once more behind them, the two assassins were able to circumnavigate the bed and they discovered that their friend was indeed lost in a slumber so deep that he wasn't even dreaming. Luckily, the ice packs carefully bound to his right leg had stayed in place and with a shared expression of satisfaction, they were about to exit the room without further ado. 

A flashing sliver of sunlight coming between thick drapes caught Yohji's eye, though, and with a slight smile, he reached for Ken's hand and then pulled him over to glance outside with him. 

Curious to see how the weather had changed following the miserable sodden night, Ken stood close to the window and smiled as Yohji wrapped his arms around him warmly before looking straight over his head, one of the advantages of their rather pronounced height difference. 

Overhead, the early morning sky was an entrancing cerulean, clear of obstructions other than a few fluffy cirrus clouds that skipped across the vault of heaven and which were racing on the winds that had pushed the rains of the night before far across Tokyo Bay. Directly outside the window, a bed of carefully tended, flowering autumnal annuals gleamed brightly as their stems waved back and forth in the breeze, their multicolored blossoms reminding both men of their flowershop and home. 

Ken sighed unhappily as he realized he'd need to cancel a soccer practice he'd scheduled for his ten year old players. The beautiful day would've been perfect for it and that would be a rarity in the near future if the harsh winter predicted by the weather service did indeed come to pass. 

Mistaking his partner's quiet expression of discontent for something more serious than it was, Yohji pulled Ken closer still, placed a single, warm kiss onto suntanned skin before murmuring almost soundlessly, "don't worry, baby. we'll make it all work out and everything will be alright again someday soon." 

Turning his head and offering willing lips instead of a cheek that couldn't offer anything in return, Ken murmured back, "i sure hope you're as right about this as you were about all that other stuff earlier, koi." 

After giving Ken the proper kiss that he obviously wanted, Yohji promised, "together, we can do anything, just remember that, ken-love."

"you got it," Ken vowed in return and then he pulled away so they could quietly exit and leave the swordsman to continue to slumber. 

As the door softly clicked shut, Aya let out a low sighing murmur of breath and rolled back into place flat on the mattress, scarlet locks scattered across the pillow beneath his head like ribbons of rich cherry purée artfully drizzled upon a puddle of fresh cream. Thanks to his teammates' hushed tones and stealthy movements, his rest had not been disturbed by their presence. Yet somehow he'd sensed he'd not been as alone as he had been for a few minutes and this knowledge seemed to allow him to slide ever so slightly deeper into the healthful sleep his body craved.

While most of the hospital slowly came to life as a new day got underway, for at least five of the souls within its protective confines there would be a marked lack of change during the brightest hours of daylight. Eventually, Yohji and Ken would take turns getting some rest in various out of the way corners of the facility while the other dutifully kept watch over their companions. 

By the time sunset painted the sky with a new palette of colors, the situation would be markedly different and those in a position to do so would be grateful for whatever rest had been obtained even as the remainder of the world moved on around them. 

*****

To be continued.

Author's Notes:

[1] In case anyone doesn't recognize the term "salaryman" that Yohji uses to describe the drunk driver mentioned in my invented backstory, this is a commonly used nickname for the men who work in the impersonal corporate offices in Japanese cities. This particular demographic has a high level of alcohol use that is basically forced upon them by their work and cultural environments and to cite one as the person responsible for a near tragedy fits the real world as well as Melpomene's strange sense of the dramatic.

[Posting Run Dedication] This evening's long awaited and hopefully much anticipated posting run is hereby dedicated to every last person who has ever shown support for this story regardless of format or the arena in which said support was expressed. This includes all those terrific reviewers at ff.net and MM.org, of course, but it also extends to those of you reading it on-list and posting comments there, plus my friends in LJ-Land, and those who send me their opinions via private email. 

This level of unfailing support has given me the strength needed to work for literally hundreds of hours composing, editing, reformatting, and doing everything else to be able to offer you something this huge and draining, so I thank you all. Also, I hope that you will continue to be uplifting as I begin crafting the final 10% or so of the story. They always say the last five percent is the toughest of any job and whoever "they" are were completely correct. It's going to be a challenge to wrap up this labor of love that has gone on for so terribly long, but it ought to be more than worth it in the long run. 

Please be advised: Parts 32 & 33 will be posted together.

Posted: 05 August 2003 ~2:45am EDT


	34. A Growing Sense of Dread

Greetings and welcome back to the Angst Theatre's debut performance of "Neutral Territory". 

In this single chapter posting run, we turn our focus to the Schwarz penthouse where the true depths of the danger caused by Nagi's decision combined with a failed mission begin to come to light. As Schuldich silently agonizes about the future as well as the past, Farfarello is distracted by thoughts of his own, yet it is the arrival of an unnamed youth that starts to bring the situation to a head.

My apologies for yet another delay in getting this out to everyone, but back-to-school time for my kids means hectic schedules and routine illnesses which interfered with my plans to share this sooner. Also, please do not assume the tale is over until I add "Owari" the Japanese word for "End" to it. I'd noticed a couple of kind reviewers were afraid it was over already or permanently incomplete, a state it will not be left in as long as there is breath in my body. As always, for timely updates on this fic regarding posting, delays, etc, please look for my page at LiveJournal.com, username "e_sama".

On a happier note, my deepest thanks to all those of you who continue to show such wonderful support for this epic. The marvelous reviews here at ff.net, the comments on my LJ, and the private emails of encouragement have helped keep my muses going against almost overwhelming odds. 

Enjoy the Angst!

~~~Enigma~~~

(who is delighted to add here that the next chapter is almost finished in rough draft form already and as soon as it as well as the next one are done, there will be more Schwarz angst to enjoy, so please don't kill the llama for the mild cliffhanger at the end of this, okay?)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

****

Title: Neutral Territory [part 34/?]

Author: Enigma

Written: begun October, 2001 

Rating: R 

Pairings: (Omi + Nagi) (Yohji + Ken) (Brad + Schu) 

Category: Shonen ai/Yaoi Angst Friendship Romance Action Violence. AU-OOC. Giftfic.

Archive: fanfiction.net & mediaminer.org [author: "E-sama the Llama"] plus Wuffie.net [author: "Enigma"]

Warnings: shonen ai/yaoi, angst, masculine friendship in many forms, various levels of romance, action, coarse language, whiffs of citrus but nothing detailed, possibly graphic violence, bloodshed, tiny bits of humor, fluff, and sap; more warnings will be added as necessary. AU-OOC. Giftfic for Rubious.

Spoilers: Aya's sister's condition and a few other small things, nothing major.

Disclaimer: "Weiss Kreuz" is the property of Koyasu Takehito and Project Weiss. All original characters featured herein (including but not limited to: Glocksten, Charon, etc.) are © Enigma, 2003, and are not to be used without permission. This unauthorized work of fanfiction is intended for entertainment only; kindly do not sue me.

Notes: Omi's first trip to the public library results in an unexpected meeting when Nagi saves his life without being aware of the Weiss archer's identity. Can two lonely teens overcome the limits of their dark purpose in life to find friendship and possibly love in the midst of "neutral territory"? 

//thoughts// 

{{mental speech}}

*****

Sunday afternoon. Various locations in the Schwarz penthouse.

*****

As a relatively uneventful afternoon rolled past for four assassins concealed within Komagome Hospital, far across the city the three eldest members of Schwarz were having an entirely different experience and it was just as well that Nagi remained entirely unaware it. 

Standing in the kitchen of the penthouse that he shared with his teammates, Schuldich pulled the refrigerator door open in search of something for Farfarello to drink since the Irishman had complained of being thirsty while too preoccupied to get anything for himself. With a frown since he didn't immediately find any of the citrus-flavored soda that Farfarello was partial to, he reached in and pushed a few items aside on a lower shelf only to find himself drawn aback when he encountered a forgotten container of leftover soba. 

"Well, what do you know about that," Schuldich muttered to himself with a sigh. "All that fuss earlier in the week and Naggles never did get around to eating these. I might as well pitch them out now, though. Noodles as old as these can't be worth shit." 

After taking the carton out and sighing yet again, the German crossed the short distance to the trashcan and disposed of the food Omi had so carefully packaged up for his new friend on only the second day of their true acquaintance. As he returned to his search for the soft drink Farfarello preferred, Schuldich's thoughts went straight back to the topic that they had been revolving around since he'd forced himself out of a warm bed and away from his slumbering lover's side earlier in the afternoon. 

//After all those years of giving him grief, I thought I'd toughened that kid up more than I apparently did. Nagi was certainly as surly when he was home as any bratty teen I've ever met probably is, so where did I go wrong?//

Finding a cheerful yellow can labeled "C.C. Lemon" hiding behind some of his own jealously guarded Heineken Special Dark, the telepath miserably took this train of thought a little farther. [1] 

//Since I was dead wrong about his ability to cope with life in general, how much of this disaster is actually my fault for always pushing him? Maybe if I'd been more of a friend to him instead of working so hard at being a royal bastard, I'd have seen this coming and could've done something to prevent him from making such a damned insane decision as to get involved with one of the Weiss kittens. Out of the hundreds of thousands of potential love interests, why the hell did the choice he made have to be one that could get them both killed?!//

Popping open the can of vitamin enhanced soda and then dropping in a straw without being particularly aware of doing either, Schuldich frowned sadly before concluding his inner monologue.

//Then again, if Brad and I don't handle this with kid gloves and kiss Estet's ass big time, those two might not be the only ones who end up dead because of this. Those other Weiss guys might as well have targets painted on their backs when the truth comes out and the same goes for the rest of us in Schwarz. All eight of us could be little more than just another puzzling mystery for some bored murder investigator any day now. If their goons bother to leave our corpses where someone can even find them, that is.//

After silently acknowledging that Estet would most likely be infuriated about the botched assignment as well as the unexpected new relationship tying the frequently opposing assassin teams to one another, Schuldich tried to push his negative thoughts away as he sent, {{Yo, Farfster. Want anything to go with your can of CC's? Something to eat, maybe?}} 

Realizing they were using the silent communication technique primarily so that their leader could hopefully get some desperately needed sleep after a very long and difficult morning dealing with their bosses, Farfarello responded in kind, {{Not right now, Schuldich. My sweets aren't sharp enough yet to stop.}}

Chuckling quietly since only the one-eyed bladesman would ever call a pair of daggers that had claimed countless lives his "sweets", Schuldich replied, {{Whatever you say, you nutcase.}} 

Farfarello sent back the mental equivalent of a rude gesture then a grin even as Schuldich walked into the room and placed the cold drink near him on the coffee table where a whetstone and other blade maintenance items were arrayed. He threw a grateful glance at the flame-haired man for only a moment before going back to work, not caring in the least that the German was attired in a skimpy crop top over daring jeans that took the current fashion of low-rise pants almost a centimeter too far. 

The fact that Schuldich was wearing the type of outfit that usually preceded a disappearing act for the two eldest members of Schwarz to the sanctity of their bedroom did not elude Farfarello, however. Despite being in a fairly relaxed mental state, he wasn't unaware of the tensions surrounding him or that the telepath was most likely trying a little too hard to seem casual about it. With childlike wisdom and abundant trust, Farfarello recognized and accepted his role as follower, contentedly waiting until Crawford issued him orders or Schuldich made one of his pointed suggestions that were very nearly as commanding.

Not finding much of interest in the repetitive flash of a silvery blade across an implement that would renew the razor-sharp edge dulled by being used to block the Weiss swordsman's katana the night before, Schuldich glanced at the television screen for a moment. A particularly handsome youth with long blond hair, pointed ears, and a bow gripped tightly in one hand bounded gracefully across the lush landscape, but Orlando Bloom held no appeal for him at the moment, so he went over to look outside instead. 

As a bustling sea of cars, pedestrians, and bicycles flowed ceaselessly past unfocused eyes, Schuldich was inwardly grateful that Farfarello had so little to say at the moment. 

The amber-eyed teen seated cross-legged on the floor and patiently caressing blade to whetstone over and over seemed at ease and comfortable, dressed as usual in well worn bondage pants and a tee-shirt with some random logo on it. A favorite movie quietly kept him company enough that the German psychic was free to continue to fret over their now endangered future, something that would've been much harder to do if Schuldich hadn't been able to get some sleep after returning from Komagome Hospital. 

The incapacitating headache that had resurfaced after his typical battle-induced adrenaline rush had worn off had been a painful reminder of the precognition Crawford had shared with him and whose meaning was now all too clear. With a deep, heartfelt sigh, Schuldich realized that when he and his lover had been unable to understand the image of Nagi in tears and begging for something, they had also failed to contemplate that only a bond akin to love could've evoked such a response.

//We're both idiots and since we might all pay the ultimate price for our decision to support Nagi's attempts to find happiness, I might as well at least try to stop worrying over him. Instead, I ought to worry about Brad. Since I was asleep at the time, I haven't got the foggiest notion what kind of a deal he cut with Estet this morning when he phoned in a report on our fucked up assignment.//

Unwittingly chewing on a perfectly manicured thumbnail and then glaring at his hand accusingly as if the fault for the action was its alone to bear, Schuldich scowled and gave it more thought.

//I wonder what he told them about why he killed Glocksten or if he tried to blame Weiss for it? No, that's not right. We both know a couple of their resident mind readers are a helluva lot more powerful than I am and they'd catch him in the lie the moment he was within scanning distance of them. So, he must've told them at least a partial truth, but I'll be damned if I can think of a way he's going to cover up the business between Nagi and that Weiss kid. Oh, this really has all gone to the deepest level of hell in a moth-eaten handbasket, hasn't it?//

As a slow ache began to grow in Schuldich's heart while a cynical voice in his head mocked him by asking if there was time to order stylish new suits from Hong Kong for the funerals that now seemed unavoidable, his reverie was broken by a strange question. 

With his can of lemony drink in one hand and carelessly waving a newly sharpened weapon with the other as he gestured towards the screen with its point, Farfarello remarked, "I want to go there sometime soon."

Startled slightly and admittedly confused for a split second, Schuldich replied, "Um, you know that Middle-Earth isn't a real place, right, Farfie?" Turning his back on the admittedly stunning view of the utterly modern oriental cityscape nearby, he went over and sat in a chair close enough to his teammate that they could converse fairly quietly. 

Rolling his sole eye exaggeratedly, the Irishman heaved a classic teenager's sigh, then replied in annoyance, "I know that, Schu! Don't be silly. What I meant was that we all ought to go to New Zealand where they filmed this." Turning his attention back to the television, he added by way of explanation, "There's sheep all over the place that I could 'play' with and the food's supposed to be good, too. Loads of lamb and fresh mussels, just like I saw on Emeril one time. There's even wineries and you sorta like wine, right?"

Before Schuldich could reply, Farfarello's face fell and as a true frown crossed lips scarred by the tender embrace of the same dagger that was now shimmering rather too enticingly, he added, "There's lots of places with hardly any people around where we could stay. Maybe Nagi will feel better while his arm heals if we get away from Japan for a while since he doesn't like crowds and everything." 

Finally realizing what his teammate's true goal had been regarding the unexpected suggestion that they travel to the southern hemisphere, Schuldich forced a smile that he didn't truly feel onto his lips and shook his head in gentle negation. As he carefully set aside the dagger before Farfarello gave in to its seductive call, he answered, "That's a nice idea and all, Farfster, really considerate of you, but I don't think the wide open spaces of New Zealand are what he needs right at the moment." 

An image from the night before of Nagi, drugged, frightened, and in pain all because of the newly born though ill-fated romance with a youth he shouldn't ever have dared to spend time with filled the German's mind's eye. With a firmer shake of his head, he added, "Unless something major changes, I kind of doubt we could get him to leave Tokyo, much less his homeland, anytime soon."

"Oh," Farfarello responded dejectedly, then looked up into his teammate's eyes for a long moment before saying, "That's too bad. I think he'd like it there, it's nice and quiet." That said, he turned away from the telepath, picked up his second dagger, and began slowly grinding away the minute imperfections left behind by Abyssinian's sword. 

Puzzled by the extended pause in his often confusing friend's words, Schuldich briefly wondered what Farfarello thought of the dark events that they had been through since midnight. However, he didn't wish to open a possible Pandora's box of new issues by inquiring, so he turned his attention instead to the absent telekinetic.

Shutting the sounds around him out of his awareness, Schuldich let his eyes unfocus and relaxed into the softness of his chair before sending out ripples of mental power, searching for Nagi's mind in such a way that he could observe yet not be noticed in return. He hadn't gotten permission to do this and he was taking a definite risk if Crawford disapproved, but he felt a sudden need to confirm for himself that nothing new had gone wrong for the frail youth. 

Even though the telepath knew exactly where Nagi should have been at the time geographically speaking, it truly was a search since his powers didn't flow along physical paths. His hunt took a little longer than it might have if his prey had been awake, but Schuldich was just as glad to take the time when he discovered that the midnight-eyed boy was deeply asleep, dreaming of nothing thanks to the mind numbing painkillers in his system. 

After broadening the range of his scan just enough to detect the nearby medical personnel and thereby confirming that Nagi was right where they had left him, Schuldich drew in a deep breath and pulled the undetected probe back into himself with a slow inhalation. A sense of relief eased a small fraction of his concerns even as the rasp of metal against stone and the soft strains of an amazing soundtrack once more were allowed to enter his awareness. 

Luminous green eyes slowly reopened and with a soft huff of breath, the German promised himself not to repeat that performance without his leader's permission. Their "bedroom only" relationship had been stretched to its limits recently and unless they took strict steps to return to their usual roles, they would only be begging for additional trouble that they simply didn't need at the moment. 

As if summoned by Schuldich's private thoughts, Crawford suddenly emerged from the short hallway that connected the living area with the office and bedroom portions of the penthouse. Ignoring the two Europeans seated nearby, he went straight to the front door which he then opened even before a somewhat startled young man in a nondescript uniform could ring the doorbell. 

With a frown, Schuldich noted a particularly large, canvas duffel bag in his lover's hand that was emblazoned with the logo of the dry cleaners that they routinely utilized. To make matters worse, he knew for a fact that there had only been a few items in the bag on Friday, yet now it was filled to capacity, something that forebode nothing good.

Stammering and trying to cover his momentary lapse of aplomb by glancing at the client information card in his hand, the youth outside the door asked, "Um, is that the laundry you wanted done, Crawford-san?" He pointed to the bag and then belatedly added when the imposing American frowned disapprovingly at him, "I'm sorry, sir, but I just started working there a couple of days ago, so I don't have one of the company uniforms yet." 

Adjusting his wire-rimmed glasses in a gesture meant to conceal at least some of the sense of censure he felt towards the boy since he had instructions that he would've preferred to give to a more experienced employee, Crawford sighed, "I see." Relief crossed the teen's face as he handed him the bag and stated in no uncertain terms, "I require that these be cleaned and returned to me by no later than eleven o'clock tonight." 

Accepting the bag with a small wince since it was quite heavy, the boy replied, "The manager told me you might ask for something like that, but he also told me to tell you that it would be an awful lot more expensive than usual. Sunday's the only evening he spends with his family all week long, and--"

"Enough!" Crawford commanded with a piercing mahogany glare even as he squared his shoulders and crossed his arms menacingly over his broad chest. Due to the height difference between himself and the Asian youth, he was literally looking down his nose at the boy as he stated flatly, "Assure your manager that the additional cost is of no consequence to me. Something I *thought* he was fully aware of already." 

Taking an involuntary step backwards, the delivery boy stammered, "Y-y-yes, sir!" Clutching the bag to himself like a shield, he added nervously, "If there won't be anything else, um, Crawford-sama, I'll hurry and get these back to the shop now."

Failing to note the significant shift in honorific, Crawford merely nodded and instructed, "See that you do just that." Without allowing the youth a chance to say anything else, he closed the door firmly before turning away and finding himself under close scrutiny by lustrous emerald eyes filled with curiosity and dread. Arching an eyebrow challengingly, he demanded, "Do you have some no doubt pithy yet irrelevant comment to make, Schuldich, or were you just distracted by the potential plaything that I've dismissed so abruptly?"

Realizing he was being given an unsubtle reminder of just exactly where they were and who else was in the room with them, Schuldich flipped a wayward lock of fiery hair over one shoulder dismissively. Then he snorted in annoyance, "As if an empty headed dweeb like *that* could possibly present *me* with much entertainment, Craw-Frodo?" Rather pleased with his insulting nickname that combined that of his leader with that of a character currently trembling with fear on the television screen that they were ignoring, he added harshly, "Not fucking likely!" 

Underneath the haughty nastiness he was flinging at his partner was a telepathic entreaty for an explanation as to what the hell was going on. However, all that Schuldich got in return was an exhausted mental voice promising to clarify matters in the privacy of the master suite and nowhere else. 

Scowling at the German's sneering face with apparent fury, Crawford snapped in reply, "You've never been very picky about your victims when you were truly bored, smartass, so don't act all high and mighty about it!" 

Even as their feigned bickering escalated to insults both personal and worse, Schuldich was carefully scrutinizing Crawford's appearance and demeanor in an attempt to judge his true mental and physical states. One of the most worrisome things that he noted was something that had been obvious from the moment the precognitive had entered the room, yet he hadn't given it due consideration until this point. 

Attired in a completely atypical pair of khakis that were exclusively for vacation wear under normal circumstances and a thick, navy blue turtleneck, Crawford seemed to be dressed for the dead of winter, not late autumn. Schuldich correctly assumed that this meant the tall man currently assailing him with barbs not worthy of recording had been feeling cold earlier as if it was already much later in the year than it was. 

Far worse than the thought that Crawford was feeling chilled was the unpleasant realization that this outfit also implied that every last one of the infamous white Armani power suits had been in the load of clothes that had just vanished with the boy from the dry cleaners. The stylish three-piece suits were not only terribly expensive, they were also quite warm. Thus, if he'd had the choice, he'd most likely have chosen one of them instead of clothes that he usually wore strictly to give himself more anonymity than his usual eye-catching garb ever could. 

Giving as good as he got with equally forgettable insults and innuendo, the telepath further noted that his partner in the hopefully deceptive argument was visibly strained and Crawford's complexion was ever so slightly paler than normal. This in turn made the dark circles under mahogany eyes stand out more than they would have otherwise, clearly proclaiming the effects of a long, difficult night that segued seamlessly into an equally challenging morning that was followed by very little sleep. If more time had elapsed, he was certain there would be a commensurate hollowing of Crawford's cheeks since he was no more likely to make it a point to eat when under stress than most people are. 

When one of Crawford's more scathing remarks gave him an excuse to do so, Schuldich suddenly sprang out of his chair, stood in an openly provocative yet somehow threatening pose and declared vehemently, "I do *not* have to sit here and listen to your *utter* crap, asshole!" Resting one hand on a cocked hip that caused the dangerous hip-hugger jeans to slip a fraction lower and thereby revealed a tuft of orange-red fur ordinarily not allowed public viewing, he waved a hand at Crawford's face and stated, "Don't even *bother* to talk to the hand! I'm outta here!" 

There was no need to extend a wordless invitation to follow since this was a carefully choreographed dance that they had performed in numerous variations in the past. Such words and actions typically implied that they were going to vanish for either gentle lovemaking or, more likely if this had been an actual argument between them, fairly rough, occasionally pain-laced sex with very little love until after the fact. 

Stalking out of the room with a growl that sounded like a preemptive claim that he would not give up the dominant sexual role without a fight, Schuldich didn't even pause to bid Farfarello farewell or even to make sure that he was still in a stable mental state. There wasn't really a reason to do so since he usually maintained a light telepathic connection with the Irishman, one that would alert him if a problem arose. 

Throughout the harsh discord, Crawford had remained where he had been when the mock battle had erupted, but the sound of a bedroom door being slammed with unnecessary force changed all of that. Keeping what he hoped was an appropriate expression on his face, he threw a glance at the silver-haired teen who hadn't paid them the least bit of attention since he was too wrapped up in the repetitive strokes of a dagger's blade across a whetstone. 

To Crawford's surprise, Farfarello had lost interest in the movie that continued to play without an audience and his sole amber eye seemed sad as he stared at the already unbelievably sharp edge so temptingly close. Of course, this also implied that he'd not paid the least bit of attention to the performance the others had put on mostly for his benefit. But that was acceptable since it was better to have stayed in character as antagonistic leader and second in command as opposed to concerned lovers than to have allowed the prior blurring of their roles to continue.

Shaking his head, Crawford decided to delay attending to his worried partner long enough to intercede and quietly moved to crouch beside his teammate and ask, "Farfarello? Don't you think that is enough?" Looking him directly in the eye and not allowing the teen's attention to leave him, he commanded calmly, "It would be best if your daggers were both sheathed and put away now." 

Staring back with an expression of blank trust, Farfarello agreed, "All right, Brad." As he reached for the sleek, custom-made sheathes that could be worn at wrist or ankle, he broke eye contact and the sense of disquiet intensified. 

With a small wrinkle marring his forehead, Crawford inquired, "What's the matter? Was there a problem between yourself and Schuldich before I came out here that I ought to know about?" 

Shaking his head even as the deadly blades vanished into their leather cases, Farfarello replied, "No, not at all. He even got me some pop when I was thirsty." Glancing at the now empty can nearby and recalling who it was that usually brought him such things, he added forlornly, "When is Nagi coming back? It doesn't feel like 'home' when he's not around and he was gone a lot last week."

Even as Crawford was stifling the desire to admit that the telekinetic might never return to them at all, Farfarello added with a sincere moue of unhappiness, "I taped the two-hour, 2000th dish 'Iron Chef' special for us to watch together. It won't be as much fun if I have to watch it all by myself."

Rising back to his feet without ever once feeling a need to pat the Irishman's shoulder reassuringly as Schuldich might have, Crawford commented, "There's no way of telling when Nagi will return to us, Farfarello." The idea of saying more about the two blue-eyed teens' relationship flit past and was dismissed out of hand, so instead he added a conciliatory suggestion, "But perhaps you and Schuldich can plan to visit him in the hospital in a day or two. His arm was badly wounded, so I assume he will remain there for some time to come." 

Heaving a mournful sigh, the younger assassin remarked, "Well, that's better than nothing, I guess." Even as his attention returned to the small screen and a cinematic symphony of images and sounds, he muttered to himself, "Maybe I can talk Schu into watching IC with me. At least he'll appreciate Chairman Kaga's weird sayings and cool clothes more than Nagi ever does." 

Shaking his head and not making any promises for the flame-haired man whose impatience about speaking with him was an almost overwhelming presence in his mind by this point, Crawford made his way to the master bedroom without another word.

Undisturbed by his sudden solitude, Farfarello allowed Aragorn and company to carry his thoughts away from the disappointments of life as he knew it and off into a land unspoiled by the poisonous touch of Estet or any of the other forces that had conspired to deprive him of sanity. His blissful, disconnected state was something he would not be allowed to enjoy forever, though, and before the year was out a stranger would quite literally ghost into his life and disrupt what little normalcy had been built for him. 

Whether or not that would cost the already tragedy-besieged young Irishman was impossible to predict, however. Occasionally, like some cosmic jest no mere human could ever hope to comprehend, it is those least firmly tied to the real world who could most easily accommodate the type of cataclysm that was inexorably headed their way. 

*****

To be continued.

Author's Notes:

[1] The soft drink of choice for Farfarello in this fic, C.C. Lemon, is a vitamin C enhanced product of the Suntory company of Japan and is quite delicious. Interestingly enough, my good friend Yanagi-sen who has recently returned after a year in the JET program mentioned that in its homeland, C.C. Lemon is advertised using the characters from "The Simpsons", something that surprised me. She also mentioned that the melon flavor in the same product line is quite tasty, so if you get a chance to try either you might wish to do so. As far as Schuldich's preference in beer goes, well, the Llama is infamous for his love of dark brews, so it only makes sense that the German telepath would enjoy them, too.

[Posting Run Dedication] This chapter is hereby dedicated to Heaven Star, a simply wonderful person who began reading this story when it was already quite long yet went to the trouble of leaving true reviews at ff.net for each chapter all the same. This type of kindness and loyalty to a story deserves public recognition and thanks since it's one of the best ways for a writer to stay motivated. I further appreciate her friendship in the world of LiveJournal.com, so it's with a doubly grateful heart that I hope she will enjoy this angsty slice of Schwarz life. 

Please be advised: Part 34 will be posted alone.

Posted: 07 September 2003 ~1:45am EDT


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